Into Your Arms
by Earenidiel Silverwing
Summary: Raven is your average city 18 year old... with a dark past... What happens when she get dropped into Middle-Earth? Is it really paridise?
1. Murder

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY LORD OF THE RINGS CHARACTERS. THEY ARE TOLKIEN'S. (I wish they where mine thought! ^-^). I DO NOT OWN STANFORD UNIVERSITY. I ONLY OWN RAVEN, LIZ, AND ROY.  
  
Hello everyone^-^ Thanx for reading my fic, this is my first and I hope you like it! It's kinda slow in the beginning, but it does get better. I hope. This is probably a Mary-sue though. Anyway, please R&R so I know my writing isn't in vain. I would like to have at least five reviews before I present the next chapter. All flamers will have buckets of water poured onto their heads, and the flames themselves will be used to warm the homeless, and I think that's all. Enjoy^-^  
Eighteen-year old Raven Marr fumbled with the combination to her bike lock. After five or so tries, she was peddling out of Stanford University's parking lot. Half an hour later she opened the door to her flat and stored her bike by the welcome mat. Next, she kicked off her shoes and dragged her backpack to her computer desk. She took out a psychology book and her copy of 'The Lord of the Rings' and placed it by her computer.  
  
Suddenly, the phone rang, and made Raven jump slightly, but soon after the tall young woman answered the phone.  
  
"Hello?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Hey Ray, it's Liz. Do you need a ride to the party?" Liz asked about her annual New Years bash she had planned for the next day.  
  
"Nah, I can walk. But thanks anyway."  
  
"Okay. What are you dressing as?"  
  
"How 'bout an elf?" She answered looking at the large book sitting on her desk.  
  
"You mean the elves from Tolkien and junk?"  
  
"It's not junk!" She said haughtily.  
  
"I know. Yay! You're going to look like that hottie Legolas guy!"  
  
"Whatever you say Liz. Don't you like him for something other than looks, like his character maybe?"  
  
"Uh, no. Do you?"  
  
"I think he's okay. I'm not obsessed over his looks like some people I know though He's just has an interesting character."  
  
"Speaking of being obsessed, guess who's showing up."  
  
"Please don't let it be Roy. Please?" She pleaded.  
  
"Sorry, I couldn't help it. His mom is a friend of the family."  
  
"That's okay. I can avoid the creep if I must. I know it's mean, but so is he. He always screams at people, and he has a 65 IQ. I don't want to date idiots who can't even carry on a decent conversation. And wanna know what else? I can't understand a word he says half the time. I think he has a speech problem."  
  
"Well anyways, did you have a good Christmas?"  
  
"It was okay. I called my parents, but they didn't want to talk. Figures. Oh well, did you?"  
  
"Yep! My mommy and daddy sent me a surfboard! Anyways, seeya Sunday! Have a nice weekend! Goodbye!"  
  
"You too, bye!" Raven said hanging up the phone.  
  
She flicked on the computer and turned on the Internet. 'I need an idea for my costume.' she thought to herself. She pulled up a full picture of an elf and printed it off.  
  
Hundreds of pinpricks, two needles, several meters of fabric, and six hours later, Raven slipped her handy work over her head.  
  
She had fashioned a simple tank-top green dress that ended at her knees, dark green gloves that had the fingers cut out of them and went up just above her elbows, and then something she was most proud of; her hooded cloak. It was the deepest green she used and flowed down almost to the floor with a silver trim. All in all, it was a pretty good-looking traveling elf's outfit.  
  
She smiled at her refection and gave herself a mental pat on the pack, and heard the clock make eleven chiming sounds.  
  
"Time flies when you're havin' fun!" she said cheerily to herself, took off her costume, brushed her waist length silver-blonde hair, and went to sleep.  
  
The next morning, Raven got up and watched the day go by uneventfully until 7:30.  
  
She put on her costume, placed a silver brooch on her cloak, and a silver ring on her finger with a single white gem in the middle. Next, she applied some blush to give a little color to her pale face, and it complemented her deep emerald-green eyes perfectly. Afterwards, she put on a pair of high- heeled leather boots that went almost up to her knees. And for a final touch, she put a pair of fake elf-ears, and took a step out the door.  
  
It was getting dark outside, but the full moon and all the lights from buildings gave off some light to see by in most places. Raven wasn't paying attention to anything going on around her; she was too busy thinking about her favorite book series, when suddenly.  
  
"You have rejected me for the last time, Raven!" a drunken Roy screamed as he unbuckled his seat belt stuck his head out the car window, but Raven could just barley make out what he said due to his speech impediment, "I'm going to KILL you!"  
  
Raven didn't even have time to scream before her body was crushed between metal and brick.  
  
Ooou ahhh. Cliffhanger. I know it was kinda slow, but I didn't just want to start with Raven 'dieing' shall we say and going places all in the same paragraph. Please R&R! 


	2. Meeting

Yay reviews^-^ I feel special! Enjoy everyone!  
  
Raven winced waiting for the car to impale her, but it didn't come. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a blinding flash. Suddenly she felt her feet leave the concrete and butterflies fling madly around her stomach. The city dematerialized before her eyes and was replaced with a very large tree.  
  
"What the hell?!" she screamed as she scrambled backwards on the branch and rammed into a soft object, lost her seating on the branch, knocked the object down with her, and landed with a subtle 'thud'.  
  
"ACK! GET OFF ME! YOU'RE CRUSHING ME!" she demanded hysterically trying to see where she was and who or what was sitting on her, but she was still fazed from the flash.  
  
"Friend or foe?" the person said in a slightly startled voice getting up instantly, "And how did you appear on the branch?!" he demanded as he jabbed an arrow in her face.  
  
"I don't know how the hell I got here! Quite frankly, I don't know where here is, and I don't know who the hell you are so don't ask if I'm your god- damn friend or not! One more thing, get that fucking arrow away from me you fucking basterd!" she screamed as she ripped it out of his grip and snapped on her knee.  
  
The person gapped at her, "How did you. Never mind, I am Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil, Prince of Mirkwood. I ask you again, friend or foe?"  
  
"What did you say you name was again?!" Raven said in disbelief.  
  
"Legolas Greenleaf." He repeated himself.  
  
"Oh my god. Legolas Greenleaf. Friend." she breathed weakly and fainted.  
  
Legolas swooped down and caught her in mid air, "Milady, are you alright?" he asked, and gently set her on the ground. She had claimed herself to be a friend before she passed out, and he couldn't just leave her here he thought to himself, and with that in mind, he took her back to his camp. He let out a soft sigh, looked at her, and began gathering up firewood.  
  
A while later Raven woke up to see a crackling fire, and a strange male hunching over her.  
  
"Get away from me you freak!" she screamed and scrambled backwards.  
  
"Is that how you thank people for taking you into their camp where you come from?" Legolas asked raising an eyebrow at her, "And I don't believe we have met before. I have told you my name, so what is yours?"  
  
"Sorry, I'm a little out of practice of thanking people. Anyway, the name's Raven." She said holding out her right to be shaken.  
  
"Tis a pleasure to met you." He said as he took her hand and kissed it, "What form of elvish is 'Raven'?  
  
"Ask my dysfunctional parents, and wait, you think I'm an elf?" Raven replied confused, "And you didn't have to kiss my hand." She finished, blushing slightly.  
  
"The ears give it away." Legolas said brushing one finger against his own ear.  
  
"Huh? Oh, right the ears. Here, look," she said starting to pull off her faux elf ears. When she failed, she tried harder, "What the hell?" she whispered slightly startled to herself.  
  
"Milady, what is wrong?" Legolas asked concerned as he took a step towards her.  
  
"Don't call me 'Milady' please." Raven said slightly stressed-out and still pulling. After one more attempt with only pain as a result, she stood up and walked to Legolas. "Legolas, do my ears look different colors at the middle?" she asked walking over to him.  
  
"No, Mi, I mean Raven. The only thing out of the ordinary to me is the fact that they are red from you squeezing them. They look normal enough to me," Legolas replied with growing concern.  
  
"That's easy for you to say," she muttered while she felt her ears. "Wait. did these things get pointier? OH MY GOD I'M AN ELF!" She screamed in delight and amazement, finally getting to the conclusion.  
  
"What is so astonishing? Of course you are an elf. You have been that way since you where born, and won't be changing anytime soon." Legolas said with another confused look.  
  
"I'm sorry for being crazy. I'm just hyper, and a little confused, but that's okay! I'll calm down soon! Do you know where we are?"  
  
"We are just outside the borders of Mirkwood. There were sightings of orc, and I volunteered to hunt them down. We will reach my home tomorrow at midday. I was planning to get there today, but then you fell out of nowhere. Where did you come from?"  
  
"Mirkwood, wow! I'm from Calif-," She paused for a second; she couldn't say that she was from California! One thing would lead to another and next she would be explaining another world, then she would be telling him that he was some fictional character. She couldn't do that. "Uh, let's just say I'm nomadic." After all, it wasn't a total lie.  
  
"How did you just appear on that branch?"  
  
"Uh, I didn't? I was just sitting on the branch above you and I fell asleep, and then I moved, and then I must have eventually fallen on your branch I guess. I mean, it's not like I can just appear out of thin air or something like that!" She replied feeling her face grow a darker red by the second and forced a fake laugh.  
  
"Right." Legolas didn't believe her, but he could didn't want to pressure her. She would tell him on her own time, if ever. "Here, eat this, Raven. It'll give you strength for tomorrow's ride." He said holding out a piece of lembas bread and gave her a soft smile.  
  
"Ride? Did you just say ride? And what is this stuff?" she asked taking the food and sniffing it. She flipped it over half expecting to see 'made in Taiwan' stamped into the bottom.  
  
"Yes, ride. Is there a problem? The food that I have given you is lembas. It was made by the Lady Galadriel herself!"  
  
"Oh, thanks. I'm just not a good horse rider person. I kinda suck at it to tell you the truth." She said modestly, "I'll just walk." Raven finished and quickly ate the elvish bread.  
  
"Don't be silly. I'll ride with you and you'll be fine. Anyway, you should get you rest. I'll stand guard."  
  
"Thank you, but guard against what?" The green-eyed girl asked moving slightly towards Legolas.  
  
"Spiders and orcs." Legolas said keeping his keen eyes focused on the area outside the firelight.  
  
Raven shivered slightly, "Spiders. I hate spiders."  
  
Legolas laughed softly under his breath without looking away from the bushes.  
  
"Anyway, 'night Legolas!" she said as she pulled a blanket around her and ran over all that had happened to her; she was having difficulty believing it all had happened in the first place. She had been murdered, transported to Middle-Earth, rescued by the most attractive thing in existence, and became an elf all in the same afternoon. She couldn't help the smiles as she slowly drifted off to sleep.  
  
After an hour or so Legolas glanced over his shoulder to see if Raven had fallen asleep. Her eyes where closed, which was only something elves do when they are very tired. He smiled softly at the serene expression on her face. Soon, he forgot his guarding duties and watched her for the rest of the night. 


	3. Spiders

Hello again my dear fans! Hope you like!  
  
Legolas blinked for the fist time in hours as the sun's first rays peaked over the mountaintops. He sighed to himself and regained touch with reality. "Wake up Raven." he said as he ate a piece of bread and held some out for his companion.  
  
Raven didn't open her eyes, but she was awake. She was having the most wonderful dream that she was an elf and Legolas saved her from a tree. She didn't feel like letting it slip away just yet. She knew that the second that she opened her eyes, she'd be in her tormenting room and it would all be over.  
  
"Come on Raven, wake up. We need to be leaving soon."  
  
Legolas's soothing voice met her ears. 'Could I still be dreaming?' she though to herself and slowly opened her eyes, and to her utter joy, she wasn't. "Yay! It wasn't a dream!" She exclaimed when she saw Legolas.  
  
"Um, right. Here." Legolas said as he passed the lembas bread to Raven, which she ate quickly.  
  
"So, when are we leaving?" she asked while she handed Legolas two blankets.  
  
"Now." He said throwing them over the horse, "This is-"  
  
"Let me guess, Arod?" Raven said already knowing the answer.  
  
"Correct. How did you know?" Legolas asked in an almost shocked tone  
  
"'Cause I'm smart!" She exclaimed ecstatically while she mentally praised her memory of the books.  
  
"You are as gifted as the Lady Galadriel!" Legolas said in awe as he gracefully leapt to the white horse's back and lowered his hand to Raven.  
  
Raven looked up into his face, and for the first time, got a good look at him. A halo of the sun's light encircled his head, making his golden hair shimmer. His face was more beautiful than she remembered, with his ocean- blue eyes held up with proud, high cheekbones. His skin was so pale and perfect, Raven was almost tempted to glide her fingers across his face; how could it be so smooth? His slender body was held high upon Arod, making him seem almost intimidating, but the soft smile on his lips showed only kindness. The sight made her tremble faintly as she slowly raised her slightly quivering hand to his.  
  
"Don't be afraid. I won't let you fall." He said softly and took her hand, "You may sit in front if that is alright." Legolas finished as he lifted her gently in front of himself.  
  
Raven nodded her head in agreement and let herself lean against Legolas's warm chest. For the first time in years, she actually felt safe.  
  
Legolas smiled down at Raven's pale-blonde head and whispered something to Arod, who broke into a brisk canter. He felt Raven's muscles tense against his torso. "Don't worry! I won't let you fall!" Legolas said laughing slightly.  
  
Raven turned her head and smiled back at him, "You better not!" She said giggling. "You know what Legolas? This isn't as bad as I thought it would be!" Raven laughed again as she leaned forward, getting used to Arod's galloping movements. "When will we reach your home?" she called over her shoulder.  
  
"Midday, if all permits!" He answered back.  
  
"So tell me, what all has been going on with you? Any achievements?" Raven asked to see if the ring had been destroyed or not.  
  
"Well, yes, actually. I was chosen by Lord Elrond to represent Elves in the Fellowship. We where sent to destroy the One Ring, and protect its bearer, Frodo, at all costs." Legolas replied.  
  
Raven frowned for a moment. She would have loved to have been a member in the Fellowship! "Tell me about some of your adventures while you where on this quest!" She requested thinking that a first-hand account of the event was the next best thing to being there, and for the next several hours, she got the full load of Legolas's point of view.  
  
"And after visiting the glittering caves, Gimli and I went our separate ways for a while. I do miss him though. Someday, I plan on sailing across to the havens, and if he wishes, I will take him with me. Do you ever long to sail across the sea, Raven?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I haven't even seen them yet." Raven said honestly.  
  
"The sea is so beautiful." Legolas said with a dreamy sigh and lost touch with reality for the second time. He was so deep in thought, he failed to notice that Arod had stopped and was standing at the edge of a dark river, which the other side to was lost in the gloom.  
  
"Uh, Legolas? I think we need to cross this thing. Legolas? Legolas, are you there? LEGOLAS!" Raven yelled and turned around to face him.  
  
"What? Where are we? I must have dazed out for a moment." Legolas replied coming back to Middle-Earth.  
  
"No duh!" She said rolling her eyes, "Anyway, we are currently at the edge of a very nasty looking river if you care to know. Wait, I know this river! This is the famous 'Don't drink the water or you won't wake up' poison river isn't it?" Raven said with another proud smile of triumph.  
  
(For those of you who haven't read 'The Hobbit', yes, it does exist. Look at a map of Mirkwood if you don't believe me!)  
  
"I suppose so, we just call it, 'Forest River' though. And the water is deadly poisonous. I remember about sixty years ago watching a dwarf, Bombur I think was his name, which was a friend to Bilbo Baggins fall into this river. I had a hard time silencing my laughter! I was sitting in that tree over there watching their every move." Legolas motioned to a tree branch over looking the dark waters. "There is a boat on the other side, but I need to shoot a rope over to it." Legolas finished as he leapt off Arod and tied a rope to his arrow and aimed for the side of the boat far off in the mist.  
  
Raven squinted into the haze and could just hardly make out the outline of a small wooden vessel. Then she heard the spring of Legolas's bow and saw an arrow snag the craft's side. "Need a hand pulling it in?" Raven asked trying not to feel useless.  
  
"Yes, please." Legolas answered slowly pulling the rope inwards.  
  
Raven jumped down and grabbed the line and pulled on it. With their combined efforts, the boat reached their shore in minutes. Raven raised an eyebrow at the tiny craft. "Legolas, you and I can fit on that thing no problem, but will it hold Arod without sinking?"  
  
"Of course it will! It was made by my father's finest ship builders!" Legolas said with pride.  
  
"Okay, if you're sure." Raven said lacking confidence as she stepped on board.  
  
Legolas followed her suit and then guided Arod into the boat. As the horse's heavy hooves came in contact with the wood floor, Raven backed up against the side and braced herself for the vessel to go under the murky water. Legolas chuckled under his breath at her performance. "I heard that Legolas Greenleaf!" Raven yelled more playfully than crossly. The tips of Legolas's ears turned pink. He picked up an oar and dipped it into the water. "Can I help?" Raven asked with her useless feelings threatening to return.  
  
Legolas flashed her a smile and passed her a wooden paddle, "Here. I have never met a woman that was so eager to be helpful."  
  
"I don't like being useless." Raven said simply.  
  
"I see." Legolas replied as they pushed onto shore and dropped his oar, "Let's go Arod! Out!" Legolas whispered to the horse, but it didn't budge. Legolas rolled his eyes. He stretched his hand to Raven to help her out and looked into her face, which was even paler than normal, she was shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes where filled with terror. "Raven? Raven, what's wrong?" Her face didn't change its horrified expression, but she slowly raised her arm and pointed to an area behind him. Legolas turned around and saw them; not even ten yards away, two massive, black, furry, beady red-eyed, evil spiders with black venom oozing from their dagger-like fangs. Legolas felt anger flash through him; he gave mercy to all foes, except these foul creatures. They ruthlessly hunted his people for sport, and he hated them for it. Legolas reached behind his back for and arrow from his quiver. Legolas swallowed hard and felt his fear rising; he only had one arrow left. He had slain several orcs and spiders, Raven had destroyed one, and the second-to-last he had pulled the boat with and was in the water.  
  
The spider cackled evilly, "'E's out of arrows! Ha! Look at 'em squirmin'! They'll make a tasty meal I reckon! I say we kill 'em! Leave 'em hangin' dead fer a while! It's been so long since we 'ad fresh meat!" said the first one in his scratchy voice.  
  
(Yes, Tolkien's spiders can talk.)  
  
"No, we can't kill 'em! We need ta take 'em back 'ome! They killed some of us, and need ta be punished! The nest 'ill deal with 'em!" The other answered back in his equally harsh tongue.  
  
"Fine, s' long as we gets first tastes!" The huge spider replied and swiftly ran towards Raven.  
  
Raven tried to scream, she tried to run, but she was paralyzed with fear. She was petrified of spiders. When she was a little girl, she was playing with one of her friends. Her friend fell, and was bitten by a black widow spider. Normally their bites aren't poisonous, but her friend had an allergic reaction to the venom, went into a coma, and never woke up. Ever since then, she couldn't stand spiders, and now, the a giant arachnid was charging her with it's fangs open wide.  
  
"Not so fast! I still have one arrow left!" Legolas yelled as he fired it at the massive spider, "Raven run!" He shouted as the monster fell dead at his feet, an arrow between its eyes.  
  
"You'll pay fer that!" Hissed the last enraged spider as it ran toward Legolas.  
  
Legolas dodged it easily, and continued to do so several more times as the spider chased after him. He glanced over his shoulder for a split second and saw the river. If he kept this up, maybe he could lead the spider into it, but that spilt second was his major fault. Once he turned his head, the spider spat its web at him, he didn't see it in time to evade it, so he fell down tangled in the web.  
  
"Ha! Yer mine now! This 'ill teach ya ta kill spiders! I know that the nest wanted ta take care of ya, but they don't have ta know 'bout this!" said the monster as it opened its jaws and stooped over Legolas's helpless body.  
  
Raven watched in terror as Legolas fell tangled in webs, and now he was about to be eaten! She felt so helpless, she had no weapons, the arrow on the boat was underwater, and Legolas had spent the last one. 'What am I going to do? I can't just let Legolas die, this is hopeless! Wait, unless.' Raven forgot the numbness plaguing her as she raced to the body of the dead spider and pulled out the arrow. She gripped it tightly and ran towards the spider about to eat Legolas. "Eat this you basterd!" She screamed as she drove the arrow into the spider's stomach, spraying oozing black blood everywhere.  
  
"Damn flies." The spider said weakly as it fell dead on Legolas's arm, making Legolas let out a cry of pain.  
  
"Can you believe it? I killed it!" Raven exclaimed, slightly in shock and helped Legolas out from under the tangle of legs and web. "I killed-" she stopped short as she pulled Legolas's arm out from under the creatures head. The clothing on his upper arm was drenched in red blood and soon the wound was uncovered.  
  
"Raven, when the spider fell on me, its fang pierced my arm. Take me to the palace, don't worry, Arod knows the way. Please hurry, I don't have much time.." Legolas said faintly and his eyes rolled back.  
  
"Legolas, what do you mean you don't have much time?" Raven asked with tears welling in her eyes, but didn't get a response. She turned her head to the steed, "Arod! Over here!" and the stallion did as it was instructed. She bent over Legolas and tried to pick him up. Already weak herself from the whole ordeal, she struggled to her feet, and set him on Arod's back. She climbed onto Arod, and the horse instinctively raced forwards. Raven fought to stay on the speeding horse and hold Legolas's limp body in her arms, which proved to be a far more difficult task that what it seemed.  
  
She continued like that for hours when finally, she heard the sound of music and laughter, and for the first time in hours, Raven smiled. The peaks of the castle were coming into view, and soon the whole palace was in sight. She estimated it was only fifty yards away, and soon she could see fully armed elves standing guard at the front entrance. As they drew closer, the familiar numbness came back to her, but the palace was so close, and she could hold on long enough.  
  
She heard one of the two guards shout, "You there, what business brings you to Mirkwood, wait, Prince Legolas! You! Get help! He's wounded!" With that the guard was running towards them, "What has happened? Who are you?" He asked as he got to Arod's side.  
  
"Spiders." Raven breathed, and the world grew dim.  
  
Sorry if that chapter was somewhat cheesy, but I hope you liked it just the same. Please review with your praise and constructive criticism! 


	4. A swearing contest and a Grand Tour

Hey my loyal readers^-^! Sorry it took me forever to get this one typed. I've just been so busy lately (my parents are recently divorced and I'm stuck with constantly being FORCED -I stress forced- to visit my depressing father and angry mother and her stupid boyfriend. Other than that, school has been a major pain in the ass. Anyway, on with the show! PLEASE REVIEW!  
  
The sky was black, and all around her was dark, except for a dimming flashlight. The moon was hardly visible, and what little light that was given off from it and the flashlight illuminated the trees and gave them a spooky look.  
  
"Get over here!" A woman hissed.  
  
"No! Leave me alone!" A child cried back, fighting tears.  
  
The woman in black moved towards the eight-year old and towered over her, "Now or I'll beat you!" she screamed and squeezed the girl's wrist, imbedding her nails into her skin.  
  
"You're hurting me! Let me go!" Screamed the child as she struggled and fought to get free.  
  
"This will teach you a lesson!" The lady yelled as she picked up a bottle and swung with all her might, and the little girl feel to the ground, no longer making any sounds.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven's eyes snapped open, but saw nothing but blurs. She was breathing heavily, and felt tiny drops of sweat on her forehead.  
  
She closed her eyes, 'It was only a nightmare, nothing more. I'm safe. She's not here.' She thought to herself as she opened her eyes again and got a good view of her surroundings; she was in a strange bed, with beige- colored satin sheets. There was an open balcony with green trees standing tall, and the sun was setting behind the mountains. The room was cream colored, much like the bed. On her left, there was a comfortable-looking chair. Lastly, the floor (especially near the balcony) was littered with a few dead leaves, probably blown in by the wind.  
  
She tried to think how she came to this room, and oddly enough, she couldn't. All she could recall was riding with an unconscious Legolas, being questioned by guards, and then everything had gone blank.  
  
"Oh my god, don't tell me I fainted! For god's sake, how lame is that?" She groaned, finally realizing what had happened.  
  
"I must say, it was very 'lame' as you put it." Said an obnoxious voice.  
  
"What the-!" Raven said rolling over quickly, not realizing that there was someone else in the room.  
  
Legolas was lying on the bed next to her, eyes closed, a damp cloth placed neatly on his forehead, and a bandage tightly wrapped around his arm where the spider had fallen on him. Next to him sat a female elf slouching in her chair.  
  
She had a nose that curved downward at the end, dark brown eyes, and dark brown (almost black) hair that scarcely made it passed her shoulder blades. She might almost have been attractive if didn't have such poor posture, and lost the grimacing face.  
  
"I am Kasseendra." The scowling girl named herself.  
  
"I'm Raven! Nice ta meet you!" She smiled and outstretched her hand to shake Kasseendra's, but she merely gave Raven's hand a disgusted look as if it was diseased. "How's Legolas? Is he going to be alright?" asked Raven with concern, ignoring the other she-elf's rudeness.  
  
"Fortunately, the Price will survive, no thanks to you. He will be dismissed tomorrow, or at least when he wakes up." Retorted Kasseendra as she picked up Legolas's hand and stroked it gently.  
  
"I beg your pardon! I saved his bloody life, thank you very much! And what the hell are you doing to his hand? It's not like you're engaged or something!" replied a very angry Raven.  
  
Kasseendra's face reddened slightly, "No, but, well, I plan to change that you know!" She growled back, but a smile grew on her face as she finished and she licked her lips. Raven's stomach turned and contorted.  
  
Raven rolled her eyes. 'Great. Nowhere is free of mindless fangirls.' She concluded mentally with resentment. "Sure Kasseendra, whatever you say."  
  
"I HOPE I didn't hear mockery in you voice!" she boomed.  
  
Yea, you did. Whatcha gonna do about it?" Raven replied, getting her city attitude back.  
  
"How DARE you talk to me like that!" Kasseendra bellowed.  
  
"Jesus Christ! Don't have a fucking cow! I can talk to you anyway I want!"  
  
"You will do well to respect my authority!"  
  
"What authorities do A class bitches have?" Raven asked defiantly.  
  
"I WILL NOT TALK WITH SUCH A, SUCH A, UH," Kasseendra struggled for a moment to find an insult, "IMBECILE!" She screamed.  
  
"Don't you mean AN imbecile?" Raven corrected rebelliously.  
  
"I shall stand for no more of your disgusting behavior! Be silent if you cannot be civilized!"  
  
"You started it! Jesus, if you hadn't been a bitch in the first place I wouldn't be winning a swearing contest right now!"  
  
"I DID NOT START THIS!"  
  
"Fine, whatever." Raven rolled her eyes, "How long have I been out for, and when can I leave?" Raven made a coughing noise that sounded suspiciously like 'did too'.  
  
"You have been asleep for almost two days now, and you may leave tomorrow when you awaken."  
  
"Thanks. Lovely. When are you leaving?" Raven replied monotonously.  
  
"I refuse to move until Legolas awakens." She said crossing her arms and legs in her chair.  
  
"How romantic." Raven said sarcastically and rolled over. 'Great,' she thought, 'One more day of Little Miss Bull-Shit Bitch.'  
  
Raven lay awake for a short time, and sleep finally covered her in a dreamless slumber. She was unaware though, that she was being watched with sour eyes.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Something soft and warm brushed against sleeping Raven's cheek.  
  
The tickling sensation instantly woke her up, and with her newly found elvish reflexes, she grabbed the object that had touched her; a hand. Before seeing whom it might have belonged to, she instinctively turned the hand backwards and twisted the wrist it was connected to.  
  
The pour victim to Raven's impulses gave a yelp of surprise and pain, "Ack! Raven, it's me! It's Legolas!"  
  
"Legolas! NO! What in the name of the Valar are you doing to him you witch?" Kasseendra shrieked as she moved towards the other two elves.  
  
"Legolas!?" Raven yelled ecstatically as she turned her head and gazed into his blue orbs, "Thank god your alright! I'm like so terribly sorry about everything! Does it hurt? Can you move your arm? Are you free to leave? When did you wake up? How long have I been asleep for? Do you even know? Can I get out of the hospital place thingy? Am I speaking to fast?" She yelled excitedly all in one breath ignoring Kasseendra, and Legolas blinked once not knowing which question to answer first.  
  
Before letting him answer a single question, Raven waved her arms for enthusiasm, then tightly wrapped her arms around Legolas's waist and squeezed him in a death-grip hug.  
  
"Uh, Raven? I need air." Legolas stated as he started to turn purple.  
  
"Oh, sorry Legs." She said as she released him and pointed to Kasseendra," Hey, whose that nasty lady?"  
  
Legolas glanced over his shoulder, "Kasseendra? She's an acquaintance of mine. Her father is one of my father's advisors! I don't know her that well I'm afraid." Legolas replied.  
  
"Oh. Just wondering." Raven converted her eye contact to Kasseendra, "I wanted to know whom I was crediting for my 'warm' welcome." Legolas gave her a confused look and glanced over to Kasseendra for a moment. "Anyway, I hope I didn't do anymore harm to your arm. How are you feeling?" She asked reverting her eyesight back to Legolas.  
  
"I'm fine thank you, and no, you didn't hurt my arm. I can take my bandages off in a week or so, and we may leave as soon as my father dismisses us. He should be here to do so shortly."  
  
"No, I am here now." Thranduil corrected his son, "Kasseendra, Thank you for watching over my son and his companion. You may go." Thranduil motioned to the door with his arm.  
  
Thranduil was almost a twin to Legolas. They both had golden hair and blue eyes, but Legolas's sparkled more brightly. He was only about an inch taller that Legolas, but again, the high cheekbones must run in the family. Despite the similarities, Raven concluded that Legolas was far more handsome.  
  
Kasseendra sent a swift smile to Legolas and shot Raven a mean look as she departed the healing quarters. 'Bitch.' Raven said simply in her mind.  
  
"Father, tis good to see you. I managed to destroy many colonies of spiders and orcs on my hunt. I have much news!" Legolas said and placed his good hand on his father's shoulder as a token of affection.  
  
Thranduil followed suit, squeezing his son's shoulder slightly, "I should like to hear of this news at tonight's ball that I am scheduling in your and your companion's honor." He finished and smiled at the redness he caused in Raven's face.  
  
"Thank you father! This is Raven. She saved my life. I met her by chance in the forest-" Legolas motioned for Raven to come over when he was cut off.  
  
"Reserve your adventures for tonight's entertainment." He said smiling at his son.  
  
"Pleased to meet you, King Thranduil." Raven said as she held out her right hand to shake his.  
  
"Tis and honor to meet the woman who saved my son. I thank you greatly. Praise the Valar that you met him. You do not look familiar, where are you from?" The king asked and placed a kiss on her hand as he gave Legolas a loving smile.  
  
Raven felt one of those infamous painful knots grow in her throat that you get when something sad crosses your mind. Seeing the love between Legolas and Thranduil made her think of all the things she had missed out on in her life. 'Be strong girl, be strong.' She told herself mentally. "Um, I'm not really from anywhere, actually. I suppose you could say that I'm something of a nomadic elf. You know, always on the road." Raven said with a half- fake laugh.  
  
"I see. What brings you to Eyrn Lasgaelen?" (The Wood of Green Leaves) (The name Celeborn and Thranduil renamed Mirkwood near the end of the trilogy)  
  
"Erm, I uh, was just passing through I guess. This was just the closest place on the map!" Raven replied brightly.  
  
An elf dressed in gray and seemed to be of some importance appeared in the doorway. He bowed respectfully, "My Lords, Lady, A message for King Thranduil." He said and pulled a piece of parchment from his robes and handed it to Thranduil.  
  
Thranduil sighed as he read the elvish writing and folded it up, "I am sorry Legolas, but I have business to attend to. I shall see you later tonight outside the palace. It was a pleasure to meet you, Raven. I regret that I could not get to know you better. I will just have to wait until tonight. Oh yes, you are free to go. Legolas, why don't you show Raven to a room? I'm sure she'd like to freshen up. Farewell." Thranduil said as he walked down the hall and sent Legolas and Raven one last smile.  
  
Legolas sighed, "Sorry you didn't get to have a longer talk with my father."  
  
"That's alright. Tis the burden of being royalty." Raven said the last part with pretend dignity.  
  
"You haven't the gist of it. My father is constantly working."  
  
"Well, he's king. Anyone who is king has a constant load of work. Are YOU up to the challenge?" Raven asked more playfully than seriously.  
  
"Legolas gave her a funny look and laughed slightly, "Come along. I must take you to your room." Legolas said and offered his good arm.  
  
Raven took it and asked, "Could you give me the grand tour first, that is, if we have enough time?"  
  
Legolas smiled, "Why of course. Up ahead is the library." Legolas said as he steeped inside an open doorway.  
  
Raven's mouth hung open. Books where her life up until let's just say, 'recent events'. Now, there was a huge library with books covering floor to ceiling. There was a spiraling staircase that led to another room used as an extension to the library. Most of the books were old with cracking spines and dusty covers, but it didn't matter to her. "H, h, how-" Raven struggled to ask when Legolas cut her off.  
  
"How many are there?" Legolas asked for her, enjoying her every reaction to the vast scroll room.  
  
Raven made eye contact with Legolas as she nodded her head slowly.  
  
Legolas furrowed his brow and sighed, "I don't know really. I used to come here and count them for fun as a child, but I always lost count. Anyway, even if I had counted them all, it was thousands of years ago."  
  
Raven blinked a few times; she had almost forgotten that Legolas was nearly three thousand years old. She wondered if that was why elves where commonly considered ageless.  
  
"This way Raven, there is more to see." Legolas said as he headed out the library and clasped Raven's hand.  
  
Raven glanced down at her hand that was currently entwined with Legolas's and blushed slightly at her laced fingers. She felt the warmth and softness of his palm on hers and tightened her hold. Thought it was a comforting feeling, it made her feel slightly uncomfortable.  
  
Legolas led Raven down another series of hallways naming off the rooms and occasionally stepping in one.  
  
Soon they came to the end of a hallway and pushed open a set of double doors that led to the ballroom. Raven gasped softly at the size of it. She could probably fit her old flat in it easily. The room was lit with lamps that hung on the wall and two open balconies on both lengths.  
  
"This is the ball room. What do you think?"  
  
"Big. Very nice, very airy, very clean. Big. Is this where we are going tonight?"  
  
"No, tonight we are going to the gardens." Legolas smiled down at Raven.  
  
"Could you take me to see the gardens?" Raven asked flashing him a sweet smile.  
  
"Certainly." Legolas replied and took her hand again.  
  
After a series of corridors, they finally came to the garden's gate. Legolas held it open for Raven and stepped out after her.  
  
It wasn't the first time that Raven was amazed by the beauty and magnitude of an area of Legolas's home. Trimmed bushes created paths, hundreds of rose bushes and lilies seemed to almost grow wild, small ponds where surrounded by wild flowers and honeysuckle, tall bushes formed mazes, willows and other shade trees where placed at even intervals around the gravel paths with benches at their bases, and sculptures of stags and people graced the trails.  
  
"Oh Legolas, it's so beautiful . . ." Raven trailed off and scanned the gardens.  
  
Legolas smiled softly at Raven, "Come Raven, I should take you to your room now." Legolas said as he led her back into the palace, "I'm glad to see you enjoyed your tour."  
  
"Thank you very much for giving it to me. I still have a feeling that I'm gonna get lost every five minutes; this place is so huge!" Raven said exasperatedly and waved her arms in the air for emphasis.  
  
Legolas laughed, "Don't worry! You may stay in the guest suit across the hall from my room. I'll escort you to wherever you need to go."  
  
"You'd do that for me?"  
  
"Of course! It's the least I could do for the woman who saved my life!"  
  
Minutes later the two elves turned down one last corridor and stopped in front of a door.  
  
"This is it." Legolas said pushing the door open for Raven.  
  
"Oh, a gentleman now aren't we?" She teased and made Legolas blush slightly, "Or should I say gentleELF?" Raven kidded again as she looked at her new room.  
  
It had several floor-to-ceiling windows and the traditional large arched open balcony with a railing and a bench. A desk with several pieces of fresh parchment, a bottle of ink, and two or three quills on it was placed against a wall with a padded and wooden armchair pushed neatly under it. On the other side of the room, a large armoire with intricate carvings on it stood against another wall. Lastly, a bed that Raven estimated to be a king size with five pillows, and tea-colored silk sheets gave the room a very warm feeling.  
  
"Will this suit you needs?"  
  
"Yes, thank you, but I have one small question."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Just guessing, but I don't think my muddy cloak-and-dagger traveling get- up is gonna be in good taste for tonight's little garden party."  
  
Legolas portrayed another one of his charming laughs and strode to the dresser, "Here are all the clothes you shall ever need." He said as he pulled its doors open.  
  
"Thanks Legs! You're a natural-born lifesaver." Raven said with a pleased smile, "By the way, how do I get to the gardens again?"  
  
Legolas smiled, "Simply go left down the hall then take two right turns. When you get to the library, make one more left and go straight until you reach the statue of Lúthien Tinúviel. From there the gate should be in sight. Anything else?" The elf asked inquiringly.  
  
"No, that will be all thank you. See you tonight!"  
  
"If ever you need anything, I'll be across the hall. Are you certain you don't want me to escort you to the gardens?"  
  
"Nah, that's okay. I don't want to bother you. Don't be too surprised if I'm late, I'll probably just be lost. What time am I supposed to be there?"  
  
"Eight o'clock I should think. Are you certain you don't want an escort?"  
  
"Yes, yes, yes. I'm sure. See ya tonight. Bye!"  
  
"Farewell, Raven." Legolas said as he smiled and stepped out the door, slightly confused why she refused his accompaniment. 'I'm sure it's just nerves.' Legolas thought to himself encouragingly.  
  
Raven sighed. She estimated it had been at least eleven when she left the healing quarters, then another five or six hours of tours. Raven looked out the window at the sun and estimated the time. She had grown good at this due to the fact that she read a sundial everyday back in California. She concluded that it was about six.  
  
Raven stepped over to the armoire and tried to decide which one to wear. Legolas wasn't kidding when he said there were enough clothes in there for the rest of her life. The dresser contained a velvety maroon colored dress, a mauve dress with white trim, a deep forest green one with soft fabric, a deep blue dress, a white one that seemed to shine and sparkle when the sun hit it in a certain way, a shimmering silk silver dress, several sets of earth tone traveling outfits that looked surprisingly like her own, several cloaks, and many other dresses and other things. Raven decided on the silver one. What could she say- she had a thing for that color.  
  
Raven folded her filthy clothes and placed them by the door. Next she slipped the gown over her head and pulled her hands through the full-length sleeves. She glanced around the room for a brush- she had gone several days without it, but surprisingly enough, her hair didn't seem to need it that much. 'It must be part of being an elf.' Raven concluded. She pulled open one of the drawers in the armoire and found what she was looking for.  
  
Raven gave the brush a curious look; she had never seen such an elegant one in her life. The head and handle was made of a silver-like metal and had designs on it.  
  
When her hair was combed to her satisfaction, Raven turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled brightly at the way her dress hung on her curves. As her gaze moved downwards she saw something that made her heart stop when she saw where the sleeve on the dress ended. She exhaled deeply and pulled the sleeve down as far as she could and pushed the memories out of image out of her mind. She didn't have to worry about it anymore. She was gone. She didn't plan on going back any time soon. She didn't want to.  
  
Raven sighed one last time and stepped out her door and made a left turn.  
REVIEW PLEASE!!!!! 


	5. Conflicting Emotions

Thanx to every one who reviewed! ^-^ I really appreciate it! I know I probably wouldn't be writing it if you weren't!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY LORD OF THE RINGS CHARACTERS. THEY WHERE INVENTED BY TOLKIEN. I ONLY OWN RAVEN AND KASSEENDRA. ARIEN BELONGS TO MY FRIEND.  
  
To Larissa: No, I don't think you flamed me, quite the contrary really. I like the fact that you took the time to tell me your opinion, and that you are starting to bond with the characters. Raven will battle with her emotional problems soon enough, but I feel if you want a successful story, you must bond with the people in it. Anyway, I based this character *somewhat* on me. Being the fact that I know what its like to be disowned and abused by my parents anyway. To anyone else reading this who knows this sadness, I feel your pain. I try to deal with my pain most of the time. I'm good at self-anger management. Besides that, I have my friend to help me. You know who you are, and I that you for your kindness. The thing that helps me a lot is Tolkien and his books. Everyone has their struggles and wins against unbeatable odds. The fact that I only have five more years of hell helps me a lot, too. . .  
  
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Raven ran Legolas's directions through her head, "Turn right, no, left at the library? Yea . . . left at the library. Now where's the statue of 'what's her name'? Arg! I never had a good sense of direction! I must seem really stupid. Ah, there it is! Finally!" Raven thought allowed.  
  
As she neared the sculpture of Lúthien Tinúviel, just as Legolas had said, the entrance to the gardens came into view. An enormous smile of triumph grew on Ravens face, "YAY! I'M NOT A COMPLETE IDIOT!" She exclaimed and a few passing elves dressed in elegant attires gave her confused looks while others struggled disparately not to laugh.  
  
Raven blinked a few times and rolled her eyes at herself as she passed the guards at the gate. As she passed the one on the right she almost stopped for a moment but just shook the thought out of her mind and kept going, the guard seemed oddly familiar. . . She couldn't help, though, to glance back at him. She cast him a look over her shoulder pretend to look at a bird in a tree when she caught him looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Raven's heart skipped a beat as the uncomfortable feeling of his watch crept over her and quickened her pace. The guard smiled to himself.  
  
When Raven finally came to the end of the gravel path lit with garden lamps, all thoughts of the guard left her mind as she stared in awe. Twinkling lights lit the trees and bushes surrounding the area where the elven feast was taking place. A table of a rich mahogany was place towards the side of the area to leave room for socializing and mainly dancing. A group of musicians where playing a sweet melodic piece that added to the atmosphere. Raven smiled merrily and headed down to the feast.  
  
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Legolas arrived at the garden's gate and passed by the guards, who bowed respectfully. Minutes later he came to the area set up for the feast. Already, there where several elves dancing and singing merrily to the melody being played.  
  
As he passed through the crowd of elves many of them bowed while others, females mostly, blushed scarlet and turned away. The majority of those females though, blew him kisses and others sent him seductive smiles. He smiled wearily back, trying not to offend them.  
  
Finally getting through the mass of guests, Legolas headed towards the two thrones placed near the back of the establishment. He saw his father, Thranduil, sitting in the larger one. He smiled as he saw his son approaching, "Come Legolas! I have someone I wish to introduce you to!" The king said as he leaned forward in his chair and beckoned Legolas to him.  
  
"Whom do you wish me to meet, Father?" Legolas asked as he reached Thranduil.  
  
Thranduil motioned his hand at an unusually tall woman who stood several inches over Legolas's head, "This my son, is Arien. She was sent here to do a number of services for us by Mithrandir.  
  
"Welcome to Eyrn Lasgaelen Lady Arien. What services will you be performing here?"  
  
Arien looked down at Legolas, "Basically everything but your cleaning maid or your cook," said the mysterious woman simply.  
  
"I see. Very well then. Enjoy the festival!" Legolas said with a smile and walked over to his father and sat down. He exhaled slowly with a sigh and watched the elves around him enjoy the celebration.  
  
"So Legolas, tell me of your journey and of Raven!" Thranduil said with a smile, and the Prince smiled back and began his tale.  
  
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Raven made her way relatively close to one of the corners. She was never very good at parties. The only reason she even came to this one was mostly because she felt obligated to make an appearance.  
  
She glanced around for a place to sit and made her way over to a bench and tried ignore the large number of elves pointing at her and whispering to each other.  
  
"Look! Is that the elf that brought Legolas back? I heard spiders attacked them. Is it true? What's she like? I heard that she doesn't have a home! You know, traveling abroad! Must have had an adventure or two in her life! Kasseendra said she's a treacherous wench, but then again, you can't really believe everything she says now can you? Oh well, she brought our Prince back so that's all I care," the loudest gossiping elf said.  
  
Finally feeling too uncomfortable, Raven rose from her seat and strode over to the other end off the garden. Up ahead, she could see two elves sitting on large chairs. She simply assumed them to be Legolas and Thranduil watching the whole event. There was an extremely tall woman, Raven guessed her to be six and a half feet tall easy, with straight black hair that went all the way down her back to her waist, and almost white skin about fifteen feet away from them. As she drew closer, she could see that the strange woman had piercing icy blue eyes that seemed to be looking past everyone as if they weren't even there. The dark haired girl was wearing a mauve short- sleeve shirt, an ankle-length dark purple skirt, and a cloak that matched her skirt.  
  
'Well, at least I'm not the only lonely person.' Raven thought as she shrugged and walked over to the other. "Hey! My name's Raven. What's your name?" Raven asked cheerfully.  
  
The dark-haired woman looked down at Raven without moving her head, "My name is Arien."  
  
"Hello Arien. What brings you to Eyrn Lasgaelen? I came here-" Raven started to say.  
  
Arien cut her off, " I already know that you saved Legolas in the woods. Everybody knows. Mithrandir sent me serve King Thranduil and Prince Legolas."  
  
"Are you like a body guard or something?" Raven asked basing her guess on Arien's 'withdrawn' personality.  
  
The tall woman looked down at Raven with only her eyes again, "Yes, actually. I aid King Thranduil in many ways. I am his assassin, advisor, messenger, emissary, and as you said, his body guard."  
  
"Well, if you're his body guard, where's your weapon? Or do you just kill stuff with your fists?" Raven asked innocently, not realizing how childish she sounded.  
  
Thankfully, Arien had patients, "Why do you think I'm wearing this cloak? I have a dagger strapped to my leg."  
  
"Should you really be telling me all this stuff? Do you really want the world to know that the only thing protecting the king of the Wood Elves is some dinky little dagger?"  
  
"Who said that's all I have up there?" Arien said raising her eyebrow.  
  
"OOOhh. I get it. I Got 'cha." Raven said nodding her head and stood there staring up at Arien for several minutes.  
  
"Ahem," A male's voice broke her absent-mindedness.  
  
"Huh? What?" Raven said coming back to reality.  
  
An elf pushed passed Raven and stood in front of Arien. He blushed and looked down at the ground and scuffed his feet, "Uh, do you want to dance with me, Miss?" He asked and looked up slightly.  
  
Arien sighed slightly and minuscule specks of blush appeared on her face, "I'm flattered, but I'm already 'involved' with someone."  
  
The elf suddenly gained unexpected courage, "Who is this man? I will gladly fight him for you!"  
  
"Thanks kid, but he's way out of your league."  
  
The elf looked down at the ground and with a pouting look, stalked off.  
  
"Who's your boyfriend?" Raven asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
Arien said without looking at Raven, "His name is Dartanian. That is all you need to know."  
  
"Oh . . . Okay . . ." Raven said blinking a few times and stared off into space for a while, "You don't talk much do you?" She said more as a statement that a question.  
  
"No. I don't."  
  
"Oh." Raven sighed for a moment, "Wanna get something to drink?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh. Well, goodbye then, I guess." Raven said walking off, "Goodbye!"  
  
Arien shook her head mentally and rolled her eyes, "Goodbye," she said finally.  
  
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Legolas leaned back in his chair. He had just finished telling his father about what had gone on in his life over the last few months and went back to smiling at the crowd and trying not to look board. He could barely wait until he could get away from the whole event. He glanced over at his father who was humming along to the music and was truly enjoying the festivities, but then again, Thranduil had always loved these things. For Legolas though, balls where mainly times where he had to sit down, look happy, watch everyone socialize and dance, and try to ignore the rather 'suggestive' smiles a large number of females flashed him.  
  
"Legolas! Why are you not out enjoying your self? I'm certain there must be a lady you wish to see!" Thranduil said laughing, attempting to get his son to meet someone.  
  
The tips of Legolas's ears turned pink, "Father, don't rush me. I have all the time in the world, literally." Legolas said laughing at his own joke.  
  
"Hmm . . .Well yes, but, still," Thranduil looked away in frustration.  
  
Legolas averted his eyesight to the center of the garden. Perhaps he would see one of his friends and satisfy his father by going into the sea of elves. His keen elvish eyes scanned a group of elves' faces. He recognized a few people, but no one he really knew.  
  
After about ten seconds of searching after that, a certain silver-blond headed elf came into his sights. She stood near the center of the room and held a glass of punch in her hand. He watched her for a few seconds, but to Legolas, it felt like an eternity. She flipped her waist-length hair, which shimmered in the moon, star, and candlelight.  
  
"Anyway, Legolas, I'm not trying to rush you, but don't you think it would be wise if you meet-"  
  
Without even knowing it, Legolas stood up from his chair and stepped of the elevated platform and headed towards Raven, and Thranduil blinked a few times.  
  
All of the elves, especially the women, reacted to him as he passed. Some turned away to hide their blush, others giggled, some bowed, while others attempted to get his attention in vain.  
  
"Oh Legolas! I'm so happy to see that you had such a quick recovery! Did I tell you how I refused to leave your side?" Kasseendra said stepping in front of Legolas and attempted to drape her arm around Legolas's waist.  
  
"That's nice Kasseendra," Legolas said absent-mindedly.  
  
Kasseendra stared in utter confusion after Legolas. What had just happened? He didn't even look at her! What held his gaze? She stood on her tiptoes and stretched her neck to see over Legolas and saw Raven taking a sip from her glass. Her eyes narrowed.  
  
Legolas bumped passed a group of passing elves and finally reached Raven, who smiled in surprise.  
  
"Hello Legolas! How are you feeling? Are you enjoying your self this evening?"  
  
"Hello Raven. I'm just fine thank you, and I think things tonight are looking up nicely. How about you?"  
  
"I'm good. Things are going a little slow but that's okay. Danced at all yet?" Raven asked expecting to hear about how the first lady he asked had nearly fainted.  
  
"No, actually. How about you?"  
  
Raven blinked in surprise, "No, but oh well."  
  
"I hope to change that Legolas as he bowed slightly, looked up into Raven's shocked emerald green eyes, offered his hand, and flashed her one of his famous charming smiles.  
  
Raven was stunned. No one had shone any interest in her in years, except of course that creep Roy. She didn't really know what to say. Should she? What proof did she have that he wouldn't become just like that others? Just like them? She couldn't take another heartbreak, but she knew Legolas, in a way that is. She had read those books, Legolas had a beautiful soul. Raven took Legolas's hand, "I'd love to!" She said breaking into a smile.  
  
Legolas spun and twirled Raven and gave new life to her ever-smiling face. Her cheeks where flushed from all the dancing, and portions of her hair brushed across her forehead, and her whole body moved with grace.  
  
Thranduil sighed dreamily and propped his head up against his hand. It was about time Legolas actually participated in these events, and now there he was dancing with Raven. 'How could tonight turn out any better?' He thought, 'Look at them gazing into each others eyes. Ah, I remember those days . . .' Thranduil finished and zoned off into his memories.  
  
The music changed from its swift beat to a slower, more relaxing melody, but the two elves didn't leave each other's arms, nor did they seem to notice the fact that they had slowly drifted away from the rest of the elves into a secluded corner, or the fact that they seemed to be lost in the other's eyes. Legolas slowly lowered his head down to Raven's, taking in her indescribable intoxicating aroma.  
  
Kasseendra boiled in jealousy and anger. She couldn't believe what she was seeing; how could Legolas choose that worthless wanderer over HER?! She had to stop it! Kasseendra rampaged over to the two elves and made her move. Just before their lips met, Kasseendra grabbed Raven's hair and pulled down with all her might.  
  
Raven would have shrieked if the wind hadn't been knocked out of her when she hit the ground. Legolas on the other hand, was perfectly capable of yelling if he wanted to, "What in the name of the Valar do you think you are doing, Kasseendra?" Legolas said struggling to hold his temper.  
  
"She, she, she, was obviously using you my Prince! I was merely trying to protect you!" Kasseendra stammered.  
  
The angry fire in Legolas's eyes exploded at this remark, "Do not lie to me Kasseendra." Legolas said through gritted teeth as he helped a dazed Raven up.  
  
Kasseendra's face was growing redder by the second, "She, she could be an enchantress my liege!"  
  
"Kasseendra! Tu es une bitch!" you are a bitch (in French) Raven said shaking with rage yet trying to control the volume of her voice.  
  
"Ha! I told you she was a witch! If not that then certainly she is mad!" The worm said with triumph in her voice.  
  
"Do you have ANY idea how stupid you sound?"  
  
"Ha! ME stupid? There is more to your madness? I was starting to believe how that was possible," Kasseendra said smugly.  
  
Legolas cracked his fist.  
  
Raven walked up to Kasseendra with her eyes narrowed, "You know what?" With unmatchable speed, in one swift movement Raven jumped into the air and delivered Kasseendra a kick in the side, who fell quivering on the ground. "You are so simple minded," the green-eyed girl said with pure anger and stalked off back to her room.  
  
Legolas started to call after her and run to catch up, but he was immediately stopped by Arien, "Don't bother. It is likely someone of her spirit has tuned out the rest of the world world. I would not want to mess with her right now; she obviously has something on her mind, other wise she would not have left in such a hurry. I shall go make sure she is okay in an hour or so. In the mean time, I advise that you go enjoy yourself. Go meet somebody, and ditch this worthless pile of filth on the gravel," Arien pointed to Kasseendra who was pretending to have a sprained ankle to spread bad publicity about Raven and get attention from a specific member of the opposite sex.  
  
Legolas nodded in agreement, "Thank you, Arien. Go have fun," he said and waved her off.  
  
Arien bowed her head respectfully, went back to the King's side, and began staring off into the crowd for suspicious characters and possible danger again.  
  
Legolas stayed near the exit for the remainder of the celebration. He anxiously waited for the time when he could go speak with Raven; he needed to talk to her about tonight. He couldn't get her face out of his mind. What did he think he was doing? Elves don't show affection towards each other over so short a time. Negative emotions are known to kill elves if they become too overpowering and having your heart broken could be too much pain for an elf to handle. His actions tonight where both reckless and dangerous, but he couldn't help it. Why? He couldn't stop thinking about her. When he closed his eyes, her smiling face beamed at him. What was going on? He couldn't possible be in love. No, no, no, he was too smart for that. Wasn't he?  
  
All these thoughts hung in his mind until an extremely unwelcome voice sounded in his ears, "Hello Legolas! I'm glad to see that that worthless piece of filth has left, how about you?" Kasseendra said over zealously, making Legolas want to cringe.  
  
"Kasseendra, you have angered me greatly tonight, and your very presence is disturbing me. I suggest you leave me at once for I am not one to annoy." Legolas said struggling to restrain his anger.  
  
Kasseendra looked taken aback and opened her mouth to speak, but Legolas, as if being able to sense her objection, spoke, "Kasseendra, I shall not ask you again. Leave me alone and go away."  
  
Kasseendra's face grew red with anger, "Fine! See if I care!" She shrieked and stalked off with malice in her eyes. 'This is all that Raven's fault! Mark my words, when I get my hands on her . . . '  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven slammed the door behind her. There where a lot of people in the world that she 'wasn't very fond of', but Kasseendra's very voice made her skin crawl, but tonight's interaction with her wasn't what had Raven's mind racing.  
  
The green-eyed girl sat on the edge of the bed and took her face in her hands. 'What's up with me? How could I have been so stupid? I promised myself years ago I wouldn't love anyone. They're all the same. You trust them and they turn on you. I have proof.' Raven pulled the sleeves on the dress up and stared at her arm and let the tears roll down her face and splash on the floor. 'This is what love gets you: a heart full of pain. After all that I still almost kissed him. Jesus Raven what the hell is your problem? Do you want more heartbreak? He'll just turn out the same. Wasn't Jason's sacrifice enough? I'm so stupid. If what I did is so wrong though, why couldn't I stop it? I felt so good . . . but no. I can't take that chance . . .' Raven wiped a tear from her eye but it was no good; every tear she wiped away was instantly replaced with another.  
  
She faced the balcony, lowered her head to the pillow, and curled her legs up. She stared out the arched opening at the stars and tried to find familiar constellations, but all the stars where different. She felt so pathetic. Her whole life she had wished for a different life, and here she was in Middle-Earth dancing with the prince. There where millions of people who would die for this and here she was pushing it away. 'Someday I'll straighten my life out.' Raven sighed and wiped her tears away again with success.  
  
"Hello? Raven are you there? It's Arien. May I come in?"  
  
Raven jumped slightly at the sound of the knock, "Sure, common in."  
  
Arien stepped in and smiled weakly, "Nice kick."  
  
Raven laughed quietly, "Thanks."  
  
"She damn well deserved it. I hope she gets a bruise. Most of the people I've spoken to said she was a major pain. They described her as a 'tall female dwarf without the beard'. I believe that could be considered a serious insult by your kind."  
  
"What do you mean by 'YOUR kind'? Don't you mean OUR kind?" Raven asked confused.  
  
"Uhh," Arien struggled to decide what to say.  
  
"What are you?"  
  
"A mix of a bunch of things, I have elvish blood, I have human blood,' Arien muttered something else under her breath.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Nothing. Whatever it is I'm a lot older that you."  
  
"So is every other elf."  
  
"What?"  
  
Raven's eyes widened, "Uh, nothing?" Raven flashed her most authentic forced smile.  
  
Arien looked at her suspiciously, "Don't worry about tonight. You're new here. After all, not just anyone gets a chance the prince."  
  
Raven smiled weakly, "Thanks."  
  
"Don't mention it. My room's the one next to Thranduil's on the first floor if you need anything." Arien said standing up and raised her hand and spread her fingers in a way that most people would try just to see if they could do it, "Live long and prosper," and turned to leave the room.  
  
Raven cocked her head to one side, 'Where have I heard that before?' Raven's eyes widened, "SPOCK!" Raven's eyes where still wide and her mouth was hanging open.  
  
Arien stopped dead and turned head very slowly with her eyes as wide as Raven's.  
  
"Oh my god . . ."  
  
"YOU KNOW WHAT I KNOW!"  
  
Both them had huge smiles on their faces. They put their hands on each other's shoulders, started jumping in sync, and started laughing so hard it almost sounded like they where screaming.  
  
Legolas kicked the door open and made a very loud and frightening battle cry while swinging his twin short swords.  
  
Arien and Raven's laughter instantly turned to terrified shrieks, and their simply shoulder holding turned into a squeeze of horror.  
  
Legolas lowered his knives and looked around confused. Arien and Raven finally calmed down and stopped screaming, "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you insane?" Raven asked clearly angry.  
  
Legolas stared not knowing what to say, "I, I heard you screaming, and I thought you where in danger," Legolas said innocently and still confused.  
  
Raven and Arien looked at each other, released the 'embrace' (Arien was turning purple), and starting snickering and laughing.  
  
Legolas's ears turned pink, "What?"  
  
Still laughing, Arien wiped away a tear of laughter, "Women do that. Get used to it!"  
  
Legolas shook his head and sheathed his blades, "Women," he sighed.  
  
"Exactly!" The two said at the same time, "Jinx! GRR!" They moaned through closed mouths.  
  
"Raven?"  
  
Raven made a smug noise through sealed lips.  
  
"Arien?"  
  
She followed Raven's suit.  
  
"Raven? Why are you not speaking? Raven?" Legolas asked concerned.  
  
Raven opened her mouth, "HA!"  
  
Arien stomped on her foot and elbowed her in the shoulder.  
  
"Owie! Fine. Arien, Arien," Raven crossed her arms, "You're no fun."  
  
"Thank you!" Arien smiled.  
  
"Yah, yah, yah."  
  
"Uh, did I miss something?"  
  
"Nope. We just jinxed each other." Raven smiled.  
  
"Oh. Jinx. Right. Erm, Arien, may I have a word alone with Raven?"  
  
"Alright. See you later, Raven!" Arien said waving and stepped out of the room.  
  
"Bye." Raven smiled. 'Great. Here it comes.' Raven new what Legolas was about to say, 'Uh, Raven, look, about tonight. It was fun while it lasted, but it's not going to work out. Yanno, I'm a prince, and you're just a stray I found in the woods. Heh, heh, heh. We can just be friends.' Oh well, I don't need him anyway.' Raven looked away.  
  
"About tonight,"  
  
'Here it goes.'  
  
"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable,"  
  
'I was right.'  
  
"But what I did, it came from my heart, or at least I think it did."  
  
'Steady yourself."  
  
"I've been thinking about it for a while,"  
  
"Spit it out already. I know you didn't mean it! You're gonna pretend it never happened. You just got caught up in the moment and never had feelings for me in the first place. That's what I wanted anyways. Right?'  
  
"And I think I'm falling for you," Legolas blushed slightly but looked at Raven to see her reaction.  
  
For what seemed the millionth time in the passed few days Raven was rendered shocked and speechless, "Wha, wha, huh? You think you might actually have feelings for me?" Raven asked utterly confused and taken aback.  
  
Legolas gave her a slight smile and blushed pink still.  
  
Raven brought her hand to her forehead, "Oh dear."  
  
Legolas gave her a concerned look, "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"No body loves me, and I don't love anybody. Now you come along and kill my way of life. Congratulations Legolas."  
  
"You wish not for love?" Legolas said plainly hurt.  
  
"It's not that?"  
  
"Then what?" Legolas said perplexed.  
  
"I just, oh, I don't know."  
  
"Will you say anything about my emotions?" Legolas said pleading with his eyes.  
  
Raven sighed and thought for half a second, "Don't trip."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You said you where falling for me, and I said don't trip. Understand? Don't mess up. I'm not head-over-heels for you. I need more that an hour to make that decision." Raven said trying not to kill Legolas (She was informed of how dangerous these things could be with elves).  
  
"I have all the time in the world." Legolas said feeling slightly better.  
  
"That's lovely. Go to bed," Raven said monotonously as she pushed him out the door.  
  
"Goodnight Raven." Legolas said brightly.  
  
"Goodnight Legolas," Raven said without changing her tone.  
  
She slipped a nightgown made of light, soft material over her head and pulled the covers of her bed around her. The things Legolas had said to her and seventeen years of memories at tore her mind. She couldn't hurt Legolas; that could kill him but then again, she didn't love him and wasn't sure if she even wanted to. She groaned in frustration. 'Trust guys to cause problems with the system!' She couldn't love him. She WOULDN'T love him! Would she? Raven lay in bed for hours tossing and turning these thoughts in her head until she finally slipped into a restless sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas smiled up at the sky. Though he had not gotten the response he had wanted from Raven, he hadn't gotten a negative reply. He had as much time as he needed. He would make her love him.  
  
HORRAY FOR CLIFFHANGERS! They are what keep you guy coming. (right?) This is 12 pages on my computer, so I hope it comes out long on fanfiction.net. (Some people want longer chapters) Normally, they are somewhere around (the last four averaged) is somewhere around 5 and a half pages long. This one should be quite a bit longer don't you think? 


	6. Arien's Story

Hey all you loyal fans out there^-^! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, I've just been REALLY busy with a ton of stuff. (School, 'dad', 'mom', Joe, friends, 'dad' wanted to take me and my brother somewhere for my Spring Break (How many times am I going to have to tell him that I DISPISE car shows and that if he must go to one leave me at home?) (Spring Break takes a week off my computer typing time) and there was something else, but what was it? Oh yes, FPS. ((Future Problem Solving)) Anyway, I hope you like it^-^! As always, PLEASE REVIEW! It makes me feel appreciated, and I like the way you express yourselves. Your constructive criticism is welcome, along with your compliments (Thank you for all of these, I find them quite flattering). I do not consider your ideas of improvement flames. It makes me proud that an individual is taking the time to evaluate my work and cares to make me a better writer. My definition of a flame is an uncalled-for insult, people raving about how much a story sucks because it's a Mary-Sue, people impolitely criticizing a story on how someone is not acting the way they personally think they should. (If you think Legolas or Thranduil or someone else is, feel free to tell me but don't act like I caused the end of the world) Other than that, I don't believe I have any other criteria for flames, and hopefully I won't have to worry about them. Thankfully I haven't had to so far^-^!  
  
Some of you said in your reviews that you didn't know who Spock was. Spock is the weird Vulcan (I think that's how you spell it) guy from 'Star Trek'. His big thing is this weird hand signal and then he says, "Live long and prosper," got it? Sorry I wasn't anymore specific. Anyway, enjoy^-^!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY LORD OF THE RINGS PLACES OR PEOPLE. THEY BELONG TO TOLKIEN. I ONLY OWN RAVEN, KASSEENDRA, AND ROAIN. ARIEN IS 'BASED' ON A FRIEND OF MINE.  
  
"Raven? Are you awake?" Legolas asked as he tapped on the door, "Raven?"  
  
The green-eyed girl groaned and squinted in the light of her room. She glanced at her wrist, forgetting that this was Middle-Earth and watches didn't exist, "Legolas, go away. It's too early. I'm sleeping. I'll get up later," she said sleepily.  
  
Legolas raised an eyebrow, "If you are sleeping, then how are you talking to me?"  
  
"I dunno; I can talk in my sleep, can I?"  
  
"You sound very awake to me."  
  
Raven groaned in frustration, "Fine. I'm getting up."  
  
"Anymore sleep and the day would be gone and there would be no time for your training."  
  
Raven's eyes snapped open, "Training? What do you mean training?" She asked very confused, but at least she was fully awake.  
  
Legolas smiled on the other side of the door, "Yes, Raven, training. I have decided to make you my apprentice in the ways of archery and swordsmanship," he said enjoying her every reaction.  
  
"Don't I have to AGREE to become you tyro?" Raven replied in an aggravated voice. After all, what do you need me for? You ARE a warrior and all."  
  
"Well, my dear Raven, did you not your self need to defend us against those spiders when we first met? If you hadn't fought, I would be dead. Don't you see? Everyone must learn how to do basic combat in this day and age even with Aragorn on the throne."  
  
Raven blinked a few times, "Oh. Right. Fine. I'll be your student or whatever you wanna call it just to make you happy," she added the last part with a hint of sarcasm.  
  
"Excellent! Get dressed! We start in half an hour!" Legolas exclaimed brightly.  
  
"Half an hour? What about breakfast?" Raven asked while her stomach growled; she hadn't gotten to eat last night.  
  
"I have brought breakfast up to you," Legolas said with smug pride.  
  
"Well aren't we special. Thanks Legolas," Raven said as she through some casual clothes on and opened the door.  
  
Legolas stepped in and handed the silver tray to Raven with a smile.  
  
"That is, I'll be your apprentice so long as I don't have to do anything outrageous like standing on my finger under a waterfall for six hours," Raven said quickly as she sat down with the tray.  
  
Legolas raised an eyebrow at the she-elf next to him, "Of course not! Well, not yet anyways," he added with a grin.  
  
"That's not funny," she said as she took a bight out of some toast.  
  
Legolas sighed, "It seems you're fitting in here quite nicely," he smiled.  
  
"What do you mean?" Raven asked as she swallowed some water.  
  
"Don't tell me you have forgotten about Arien! She seemed to like you!"  
  
Her eyes widened instantly, finally remembering last night's encounter, "Oh my god! I have to talk to Arien! Legolas, I'll meet you outside in an hour!" Raven said quickly and bolted out of the room, leaving him with her half eaten breakfast.  
  
The elf blinked. What had just happened? He shook his head, "Women . . ." Legolas sighed to himself and proceeded to take a bight out of an apple she had left in her hurry.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven ran down the hallway and only stopped when she nearly knocked over a passing elf, who jumped back in surprise, "Sorry!" She called over her shoulder and continued at a brisk pace. She had to speak with Arien. Was she from Earth, too? How long had she been here? Raven needed to know.  
  
"Well I must say, aren't we in a hurry?" Kasseendra's loathsome voice sounded and put her hands on her hips, "It's not polite to push passed others in the halls."  
  
Raven's eye twitched at the sound of her voice and stopped dead, not believing her luck. Of all people to run into it had to be the one she hated, "I don't have time for this Kasseendra," she said struggling to hold her temper.  
  
Ignoring Raven's attempt to evade the situation, Kasseendra began, "Don't get so used to Legolas asking you to dance. He probably simple feels sorry for you. He often asks ME to be his partner," Kasseendra licked her lips, "Any minute now he'll be down on his knees begging me to take him back. He's probable longing for me now! Soon he'll forget all about YOU. You where just the flavor of the week I bet. Has he kissed you yet? His kiss is . . ." Kasseendra made a yearning moaning sound that could easily be mistaken for the mating call of a sick walrus, " INDESCRIBABLE!" Kasseendra abandoned reality and zoned off into her pretend fantasyland.  
  
Raven rolled her eyes and quickly started back down the hall, leaving the dithering elf to spout her imaginary intimacies of Legolas by herself, "Legolas, I pity you," she said truthfully.  
  
Minutes later, she arrived on the first floor and took it for granted that Thranduil's room was the one with two guards by the entrance. She passed by them and smiled with a nod, "Hello," she said softly. Raven glanced into the second guard's eyes and almost stopped; it was the same elf from the night before, "Who are you?"  
  
The strange elf gave her a sly grin, "I am Roain," (Pronounced row un) "and do you remember me from before, last night I mean?" He asked and held the grin.  
  
"Vaguely," she answered simply; she didn't like the smile on his face, and those eyes . . . They reminded her of someone, but she just couldn't put her finger on him . . . "I must be going now, goodbye," Raven finished and continued down the hall.  
  
"Oh, leaving so soon Raven?" Roain said with a playful frown.  
  
She turned, "How'd you know my name?"  
  
"Everyone knows you name, Raven," said he as his grin returned.  
  
She nodded slowly, "Oh," her voice almost quavered; those black eyes where impossibly dark, as if hiding something deep within . . .  
  
"I believe you know my sister."  
  
Raven blinked, "I do?"  
  
"Yes, don't you know Kasseendra?"  
  
Raven's heart jumped in her mouth, 'Jesus, just like his sister,' she thought as she fought a grimace, "Oh yes, how could I forget Kasseendra?" She said her eyes involuntarily squinting and having to force every syllable.  
  
"I thought so. I would like to see more of you Raven," Roain added. The green-eyed girl felt it was more of a demand that a request.  
  
"Oh, I don't think that will be possible. You see, I'm going to be very busy, and one day I might just have to leave, being the wander I am. So sorry, bye! Nice meeting you!" She finished quickly and took off at a walk that was right next to a run, desperately trying not to scream.  
  
"Don't worry," he said quietly with an evil grin growing on his face, "I'll have my fun."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven quickly knocked on Arien's door impatiently -for good reason- awaiting it to swing open, "Hey, it's me, Raven! Open up!" She rapped on the door again.  
  
"Come in," came the answer from the other side.  
  
She immediately pushed the door open and slammed it shut as soon as she entered.  
  
The room looked basically like Raven's, but Arien's had articles of clothing -most of which where muddy and slightly worn- lying on the bed and in heaps on chairs. Possibly hundreds of leather-bound books lay piled in stacks under the bed, while one or two others where placed sloppily facedown and open on the desk, along with several papers in messy piles or else lying with corners sticking off and threatening to fall to the floor. Other papers had been crumpled into balls and thrown into corners and a couple others had fallen cast aside on the floor near the table. A muddy cloak was hung on the dresser's handle and had a belt with sheathed daggers hanging from it. In the corner near the balcony, a bow stood against the wall with a quiver of bloodstained arrows propped up beside it. Next to the quickly made bed, Arien's unsheathed sword leaned against the arm of a chair in which Arien sat. "Hello Raven. I was wondering when you'd come find me," she said finally.  
  
Raven didn't say anything. She slowly walked over to the side of the bed facing Arien and sat down, "Are you-"  
  
Arien finished her sentence and cut her off, "from Earth? No, but I'm not from Middle-Earth either. What world are you from?" she asked with excitement.  
  
The blonde elf narrowed her eyes in confusion, "What do you mean, 'what world am I from'? Earth of course!"  
  
Arien looked taken aback, "You mean, you can't Myst?"  
  
"Not that I know of! What the hell is 'Myst'?"  
  
The strange woman looked thoroughly perplexed, "You know, MYST! You can travel through universes!"  
  
"No I can't," Raven said, her eyes growing wider and wider every second, "Can you?"  
  
"Of course I can! If you can't then how are you here?" She demanded and there were several emotions that in her voice, and Raven was confused why she had heard them. Arien had sudden hope, desperation, and a tone that seemed to be caused by an agonized wait for the answer.  
  
"I, I died . . . I think," she said slightly taken aback.  
  
It looked like the hope had shattered in Arien's eyes, "Oh," she said flatly, almost sadly.  
  
Raven ignored it and immediately asked, "What, where, how," she struggled to put her question into words.  
  
"You mean, 'What's my story?' Right?"  
  
Raven nodded slowly, her mouth still open.  
  
Arien sighed and pushed the shattered bits of hope out of her mind, "I don't know how long ago it was now, but it all began when I was born many long years ago. My first home was in the universe in the center of the Space Time Continuum. This place could be considered 'perfect'. Anyway, one day I realized that 'perfect' was just 'not perfect', if you can understand that, and the next thing I knew I wasn't at 42 Perfect Lane. I had jumped, if you will, universes."  
  
Raven was trying her best not to look confused.  
  
"I spent all my conscious hours perfecting my skill and eventually gave my ability the title, Mysting, mostly because it sounded cool," she added with a smiled.  
  
Raven snickered quietly at Arien's choice of words.  
  
"I began 'Mysting' to as many different universes as I could trying to see it all. I would stay in one world for a few years and then move to another. Eventually I came to your old world, Earth. It was very bad timing thought. I visited the World Trade Center, and I guess you where in the middle of a war or something, but I saw a huge plane fling towards one of the buildings, and I thought it must have been an air show or something. Or at least I did until it slammed into the side of one of the Twin Towers. The building began to collapse and I knew I couldn't run fast enough to evade the chunks, so I prepared to Myst. An instant before I faded out, an enormous section of the tower came crashing down and I was crushed beneath it."  
  
Raven cringed at the mental image flashing through her mind.  
  
"Anyway, somehow I must have done something to get me here because when I opened my eyes, I was standing on the outskirts of Rivendell. I met Elrond and lived happily in his home for many years. One day though, I was training in the forest and Gandalf the Grey saw me and sensed that I was no ordinary elf. He could feel my 'magic' properties and took me in as his apprentice. It was only a few days ago when my life style changed yet again when he sent me here to assist King Thranduil, and now I'm here," Arien finally completed her tale.  
  
Raven tried to swallow all she had just heard. She was having a hard time comprehending that she was in the presence of a being from another universe all together. The discussion that had just gone on was not the type of thing a narrow-minded person could believe, maybe even WOULD believe for that matter, but Raven was beyond that, despite her difficulties understanding what she had just heard. The room was silent for only a few moments, but to the silver-blonde-haired elf it felt like hours. Finally she said the only thing that sounded halfway intelligent, "Are there any others like you? You know, that can Myst?"  
  
Arien sighed, "No sadly. I had hoped maybe you could, or at least found another way to travel in-between worlds."  
  
"Why would you hope that I could?"  
  
The other looked into Raven's eyes, "Because I can't."  
  
The elf's green orbs where filled with shock and confusion, "What do you mean you can't?"  
  
"I've tried hundreds of times, but since I landed in Middle-Earth I haven't been able to. I have a feeling it's because I died and in my reincarnation or whatever, I lost my ability. I'm stuck here forever."  
  
Raven stared with her mouth open and didn't know what to say, but thankfully, she didn't have to.  
  
Arien saw the confusion in her friend's eyes, "I know it's kind of hard to swallow all that at once, you can just imagine the shock when I found out I could do it!" she said with a chuckle, "You're the only soul I've ever told, except one other that is, but he died."  
  
Sympathy grew on the elf's face, "I'm so sorry, what happened to him? Who was he?"  
  
The other smiled, "As soon as I tell you who he is, you will instantly know his fate. Gandalf the Grey was his name," she paused to watch Raven's face light up with an expression that said 'Oh' before she continued, "When he was reincarnated as Gandalf the White, he did not remember that little detail about my life, but it was all for the best I suppose. He did remember enough about me that he remained my instructor, though. I'd appreciate it if you didn't go around saying anything about this, if you please," she said firmly, almost like a warning.  
  
Raven nodded, "I wouldn't dream of it! Think how Leg- I mean everyone would react if we went around saying we come from a world where everyone and everything they know is nothing more that a movie and a kid's story!"  
  
Arien's head cocked to one side and sent Raven an amused smile, "They made a movie out of it? Cool!" a moment of silence passed, "Raven, I don't want you to think any different of me, alright? Or, at least any different from last night after the ball. Even thought I'm from another world I'm still the same. We all have our pasts. Some are stranger than others," she looked directly into Raven's eyes as she said the next part, "and some have darker ones."  
  
The blonde-haired girl unknowingly leaned backwards and a faint blush crossed her face, 'Does she know something?' she asked herself.  
  
Arien looked taken aback, "Hey, why are you giving me that look? Did I say something wrong?" she asked with concern.  
  
Raven shook her head and lost all suspicion, "No, I'm sorry. I just remembered that I Legolas wants to give me private training lessons. I think I'm gonna die. Wanna come with me? You could give me some tips! Plus, you could make sure that he doesn't end up killing me by accident," she smiled, "How 'bout it?"  
  
The other raised her eye brow, "I don't think Legolas is gonna kill you. Speaking of him, what did he want last night?"  
  
Raven's face turned a brilliant scarlet and she could feel the heat radiating off, "Um, he uh, that is, he-"  
  
Arien cut her off, "No more need be said. I saw the whole thing with Kasseendra," she smiled playfully, "Someone has the hots for you!"  
  
As unbelievable as it sounds, Raven's face managed to get even redder but soon died down to almost its normal pale color, "The sad part is I don't have the same feelings for him. I don't WANT to have feelings for him, or any other guy for that matter."  
  
Arien looked confused, "Why? Most women would love it if the Prince of the elves offered them his heart."  
  
"I know, but I'm scared. I, I just don't want to be hurt . . . I've been hurt so many times in my life and I don't think I could bear another heart break," her eyes glazed with tears, "I'll die. I'll kill myself before reliving my life. Hell must have been better! And now Legolas screwed my life up again by falling for me! I don't want to love, but if I don't, he might die! What should I do?"  
  
Arien saw the misery and torment in her friends face, and could feel the curiosity creeping onto her own, but decided that this was no time to be asking such questions of the elf's past, "I don't think I have any advice to give but this; learn to trust people. What happened to you on Earth means nothing here, because this is MIDDLE-Earth. If you don't start tearing down those walls around your heart, which your must have had reasons to put up in the first place, you will not just be putting Legolas's life on the line, but you will also have your own despair to worry about. An elf cannot live without love. No matter how hard they fight it, if they don't give in to their desirers, they will no longer be able to stand the grief of their lonely hearts and fate into darkness."  
  
"But if what you say is true, then how is it that an elf can live thousands of years and never love, yet still live a wonderful life free from this despair you speak of?"  
  
"Because they didn't refuse to love."  
  
Raven exhaled and slumped her back down onto Arien's less-that-neat bed, "So are you saying I should give Legolas a chance? 'Cause if you when through what I went through, you wouldn't be advising me to!"  
  
"And I'm not doing so, am I? Do what you think is best. Use your judgment, but don't stereotype others from something that someone has done to you in the past. After all, you don't know Legolas all that well, except from those books right? From them you can plainly see that Legolas has a beautiful soul. Where those not your words?"  
  
Raven smiled a dreamy smile, "Yes, they where . . ." she quickly snapped out of her trance, "But it doesn't matter!" 'Does it?' she asked herself. She was getting so frustrated with herself. How could such a short period of time with Legolas weaken her defenses so drastically? "Are you coming with me to Legolas's torture sessions or not?" she asked agitatedly.  
  
Arien smiled, "I'll try to stop by later, that's not a promise, you hear me? I have a lot of things to, hmm, how should I state this, 'take care of'," a sly smile emerged from the previous friendly one.  
  
Raven nodded as she remembered the fact that Arien was a trained assassin along with many other specialties, she guessed, from her friend's choice of words that she was referring to the darker area of her expertise "Oh. Anyway, I suppose I should be going before Legs comes lookin' for me. Thanks for your advice. Good-bye," she waved off her friend and exited the room.  
  
Arien smiled as the other left in search of Legolas. Soon the smile changed to a grin. 'Your fighting a loosing battle to your emotions Raven; I can see it in your eyes.' 


	7. Archary

Hello again! I am glad to see that my loyal fans have come to read the seventh chapter to my story. (And hopefully some newcomers, too!) As always, I'd appreciate it if you would review. Put it this way: no reviews, I won't waste time typing. (C'mon. I know there is at least one person out there who's reading and not reviewing.) Anyway, my thanks to everyone for your support! It makes me feel proud!  
  
To Elfaer Giliell- That was a flame if I've ever seen one all right! Damn girl, that's rough! Go whoop Diamond's ass! Man if I ever get my hands on that bitch . . . *cracks knuckles* For a second I thought someone send ME that flame! My eye started twitching when I read it. (That means a lot more that what it sounds) You sure as hell didn't deserve that! What a coward. Did you reply to her disgusting review? I would! After all, she did leave her e-mail. But then again, you might not want to stoop to her low-as- prehistoric-worm-guts level.  
  
Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter up. I just lost a lot of my spare time to power-outs. I was done this chapter and (like the blonde I am) didn't save. A storm rolled in, lightning zapped a power line (you know the story), and -zip- out goes the power. Hours wasted. Guess what was REALLY cool though! My house got struck by lightning and then all of my evil brother's electrical stuff got fried! (Only his by the way) MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY LORD OF THE RINGS CHARACTERS. DON'T WAIST YOUR TIME SUEING ME BECAUSE THE ONLY THING YOU'LL GET IS A BROKEN LABTOP.  
  
* Legolas was busy clipping the feathers of one of the arrows he had set aside for Raven to use. This was going to be splendid! He couldn't think how a day had the promise of being so perfect! He had Raven to himself ALL DAY! He grinned thinking of where today could lead and trembled uncontrollably with excitement, which made trimming the feathers a very difficult task. This was his big chance to show off his impeccable skills to the she-elf that intrigued him so. 'Don't mess this up, Legolas. Here's your chance to show her what your made of!' he gave himself a mental prep- talk.  
  
The faint sound of feet lightly walking on the forest floor met the Prince's leaf-shaped ears. An even wider grin grew on his face; she was coming. He stood up as straight as he could, dropped his shoulders, turned his body slightly so he could see the area he heard the footsteps from, shifted his clothes to make sure no wrinkles where present, draped his cloak over one shoulder, tucked a loose braid behind his ear, planted one of his most kingly smiles, and tried his hardest to look dignified. The almost-silent footsteps grew ever so slightly louder as they drew nearer, and soon a sight that left Legolas no longer dignified or regal but instead made his mouth hang open with shock reached his eyes; Raven was wearing a rather 'revealing' shirt with no arms and showed most of her cleavage. What she wore on her lower body was little more that loincloth. She was leaning against a tree in a very seductive position with one arm going up against the beech's trunk, while the other was draped over her thigh, "Hello Legolas. I'm ready to play now," she said in a voice that was smooth as silk.  
  
Without warning, she bolted to Legolas with such speed she pined him to ground. She firmly brought her lips down on his, engulfing his lips. Legolas was wide-eyed in shock, but quickly abandoned his surprise and sent her a crushing kiss back. He pulled her closer to him, pressing their chests together when suddenly- *  
  
"Legolas? You're asleep! Get up! LEGOLAS!" the non-figment-of-imagination Raven yelled finally.  
  
The elf prince yawned deeply and blinked the world into focus. Raven was towering over him with a slight twinge of aggravation in her eyes. She was wearing the same casual outfit that she had put on that morning. Legolas exhaled, "I'm sorry Raven. I just lay down at the base of this tree to wait for you. I guess the heat must have put me to sleep," his voice was almost sad; it had only been a dream . . .  
  
"What where you dreaming about?" she asked as she helped him up.  
  
Legolas desperately fought a blush from coming on his face, "Uh, I can't remember," he lied quickly.  
  
"Oh," she said simply, "you seemed to be enjoying it. You where smiling this weird smile and giggling," Raven finished as she walked passed him, totally naïve of everything.  
  
"Um, right. This way," he led her out of the group of trees and followed a dirt path that looked as if it was scarcely used. They went at a brisk pace for several minutes and where soon deep in the woods and the palace was out of sight.  
  
"Hey Legs, where are you leading me?" the girl asked, a step behind Legolas.  
  
He smiled, "I wanted this to be your private lesson. I didn't think that you would want Kasseendra and everyone else distracting your concentration. Training is between master and apprentice. With that in mind I thought I'd take you somewhere a little more . . . private, if you will," Legolas thought for a moment, 'Should I take her hand?'  
  
"Yea, but that doesn't answer WHERE we are going!" Raven said ducking and evading some low-hanging branches.  
  
"You'll just have to wait and see!" he said playfully and decided to risk lacing his fingers with hers, praying that she wouldn't pull away.  
  
The she-elf blushed -and almost trembled- at his touch and began to pull away, but something stopped her. She walked in silence for a few seconds, and Legolas held his breath, but then tightened her grip on his hand ever so slightly. Legolas breathed.  
  
After about nine or ten minutes of scattered casual chatting, mostly from Legolas, the two elves reached their destination. It was a grassy area near a small body of water about the size of a large pond. A waterfall that gave off a faint mist stood about eight feet tall and supplied the miniscule lake with its water. Other then that, the water seemed as smooth as glass. The tree line stopped about twenty-five feet away from the bank, except for one or two trees and a few shrubs. One of these trees had an unusually shaped limb that dipped to form a seat. Branch's bark had been slightly worn and was now smooth.  
  
"What do you think Raven?" he asked.  
  
"It gorgeous . . .," she said as her eyes slowly scanned her surroundings, 'Beats the hell out of Macey's Park!' was the thought that shot through her mind when she entered the clearing.  
  
Legolas looked down at her and smiled warmly, "Well, shall we get started? Let's get you a bow. We'll work on your archery first," he said as he led her to a spot about twenty feet away from a tree that looked like it had been attacked by a flock of wood-peckers. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and loaded his bow, "Your task, "he said as he pulled back on the string and released the arrow, "is to split my arrow," Legolas finished with a smug look that read 'how was that shot?'  
  
Raven gawked at the bolt in the direct center of the tree, "You want me, "she pointed to the arrow, "to shoot that?"  
  
Legolas nodded, "Yes, and you will be able to by the end of today's training," the elf said as he handed Raven a spare bow and a quiver -being careful to make sure their hands touched as he did so.  
  
The elvish weapons felt awkward and clumsy in her hands, "Uh, how do I hold this thing?"  
  
Legolas cocked his head to one side, "You mean to say that you have lived in the wilderness for all these years and you don't even know how to hold a bow?" the warrior said in a tone that was next to shock.  
  
"Uh, well, yes I've held a bow before," it wasn't a total lie; they had taught archery in gym class when she was in high school, "it just seems so long ago that I've held one of these things! It goes like this, right?" Raven lifted up her hands to show Legolas how she was griping the wood and string. Before she gave him time to respond she continued, "You see, I was just never very good at this kind of thing, and I think I'm going to shoot myself in the foot. Watch," she said as she pulled back on the string and aimed to the best of her ability at Legolas's arrow and fired.  
  
At first it seemed that her arrow might have reached it's target until it veered of course without warning (she had shot it poorly) down towards the ground and ricocheted off a rock back towards the two elves.  
  
Raven shrieked slightly as she jumped back just in time to save her nose as the arrow flew passed her, causing a few strands of her hair to fly in its wind-wake. She turned to watch where it headed, and to her utmost horror, it went rocketing like lightning towards the of the other elf's face. She looked away, unable to bare the sight that awaited her.  
  
The forest area rang with the slight twanging sound of the arrow colliding with the ex-prince's flesh.  
  
Raven fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks; she had killed him. She threw the bow out of her hands, 'I killed him! How could I? I started to almost- Oh! it doesn't matter now he's dead! I killed him!' she screamed in her head and wept bitterly for a few moments before deciding to force herself to turn around and try to think of what little could be done.  
  
After about a second had passed, (to Raven it felt like a century) she turned her head and all tears where instantly dried up and she turned the rather pale color of chalk. Legolas stood about a foot behind her holding her arrow about half an inch from his forehead.  
  
Raven's eye twitched. A wave of relief passed over her shoulders, but at the same time she burst into tears, "Legolas, I'm sorry! Oh my god I almost KILLED you! How could you even let me hold the stupid thing? (referring to the bow of course)," she instantly threw herself at the elf prince and latched her arms around him, almost as if she couldn't stop herself from doing so.  
  
Legolas looked down at her and a soft smile grew on his lips, "Don't worry, I'm alright," he soothed in her ear. He was slightly surprised at her reaction, and was still slightly tense from the incident with the arrow. She didn't need to be so upset -not that he minded of course (hehehe)- because he had often been in that sort of situation when he battled with orcs and Uruk-hai. Legolas felt one of her tears soak through his tunic and felt her shake in her sobs. Her warm tear went straight to his heart like a dagger. It pained him so much to see her cry. Those tears where for him, even though he was never in any real danger. 'She must care for me then . . .' he concluded silently. The warrior relaxed in her arms and slowly wrapped his around Raven's slim waist. He lowed his head and whispered soothing words in her ear until her trembling stopped and she was calm.  
  
After about a minute of rocking gently back and forth, Raven's sobs stopped. Legolas finally released her reluctantly; she felt so good in his arms! "Now where were we?" he asked with a game-face smile.  
  
"You where telling me how to hold a bow, not that it matters anymore because I refuse to do this again," she said in a stubborn voice and crossed her arms.  
  
"What do you mean?" Legolas said with a slight laugh.  
  
"You heard me," she replied indignantly, "I almost KILLED you. You could have DIED. I would have had to KILL myself if I had done so."  
  
"You aren't going to kill me. C'mon. I'll make an archer out of you yet," the elf said as he handed her the bow, which she took rather reluctantly.  
  
"Again, this feels . . .," she looked at the arched weapon in her hands," . . .not right."  
  
Legolas smiled, "That's because you aren't holding it right. Here," he put his long fingers on Raven's and guided her hands to their proper places.  
  
Legolas's student took in a sharp breath. His hands were so soft and warm against hers . . .  
  
"To fire, you pull back on the string like this," the elf said as he led her fingers with his onto the arrow and directed her arm motions to prepare to fire the bow. This was a relatively difficult task when standing about half a foot away from someone so Legolas decided to make a move. He was a little worried to do so though; he didn't want to scare her off again, but then again, he did have an excuse.  
  
Raven heard Legolas shift his body and come towards her. She felt his strong arms run along with hers; his torso fit against hers, and felt his breath blowing a few hairs on the top of her head. She trembled against lean body on hers, but to her surprise it wasn't out of disgust or fear. His touch sent an odd feeling coursing through her veins that she couldn't describe, but it felt . . . good. She leaned into his chest. Raven felt the steady rise and fall of his torso as they breathed in unison. She couldn't remember the last time she was this close to another living being, or when she last felt so comforted. Nothing came to mind.  
  
Legolas felt his heart skipped a beat but remained calm and kept control of his hormones. He lowered his head to her tear-drop-shaped ear, "Aim just above the arrow,"  
  
Raven did as instructed and let go.  
  
The bolt sped toward its target and split it down the center.  
  
The emerald-eyed girl stared in awe, still posing against Legolas, "Did I just do that?"  
  
Legolas looked down at her with an amused smile, "Of course you did. Excellent job. I told you you could do it."  
  
Raven let go of the bow and jumped up and down repeatedly while saying in a high-pitched voice, "I did it! I did it! I did it!" so fast that she seemed to be saying the phrases as one word. She jumped up suddenly, squeezed her arms around Legolas's, wrapped her legs around his waist, and buried her face in his chest. (Now muttering, "Yesyesyes!")  
  
The girl's unexpected outburst almost caused Legolas to fall over. Not that she was too heavy of course, but rather she had caught him totally off guard. Once he realized what exactly was going on, he abandoned Middle- Earth for cloud nine.  
  
After hanging on the Prince for about forty-five seconds, Raven felt herself slowly begin to slip. She reluctantly slid off and landed as gracefully as she could on the ground and brushed the wrinkles out of her tunic. Next the elf looked up at Legolas to see how he took her 'hug'. She felt a little silly about doing it, but amazingly enough, didn't regret it. The sight that met her eyes made her feel a little confused; he had this bizarre dazed look that people get when they are in the middle of an exceedingly pleasant dream, "Legolas? Legolas? You in there? C'mon, snap out of it!" Raven demanded as she shook him softly.  
  
No reaction.  
  
"Hello?!" she slapped his face a little harder that she had intended to.  
  
The haze instantly vanished from Legolas's eyes and instinctively shot his hands and griped Raven's wrist and shoulder.  
  
The she-elf jumped back out of reflex, but regained control immediately afterwards.  
  
The warrior's eyes softened when reality returned to him, and he loosened his grip on the girl's wrist but didn't remove his hands. He moved closer to her she could feel his warm breath break on her cheeks. The two elves gazed into each other's eyes and lost themselves in oceans of blue and green. Legolas slowly lowered his lips toward her ever-so-slightly open ones.  
  
Raven's heart beat as fast as a humming bird's, but she was perfectly calm. She was going to kiss him . . . what would it be like? Was this really happening? Secretly deep down inside her soul she had been longing for this moment since they had first met, but fiercely denied herself. She couldn't bear to be shattered again . . .  
  
The kiss was only mere seconds away when a rustling noise came from a nearby bush at the edge of the clearing; totally destroying the moment.  
  
The two quickly pulled away from each other looking slightly awkward. Legolas cursed softly under his breath.  
  
The rustling noise swiftly grew louder and a familiar face emerged from the brush, "Uh, I hope I not disturbing anything," Arien said more like a question that anything else. (The red faces gave her a sufficient hint).  
  
"Erm, no. We were just, uh . . ." Legolas stumbled and the tips of his ears turned pink.  
  
"Practicing archery!" Raven saved with a big smile, "Can you believe that I shot a an arrow through his? It's amazing! I'm NOT incompetent!"  
  
"Yes, thank you Raven," he said with feeling, "And what are you doing out here Arien?" the elf tried to hide his annoyance; was it impossible to get any privacy in Eyrn Lasgaelen?  
  
"I had some things to take care of and I'm on my way back to the palace," she shrugged simply.  
  
Raven looked closely at the dark-haired woman's cloak. She could see the faint outline of her sword under the bluish purple fabric. There was a black stain that looked fresh and almost damp over the area where the outline suggested the blade's hilt would be. It looked suspiciously like blood . . . The elf's wandering eyes instantly snapped away and looked into Arien's. The assassin smiled.  
  
"Anyway I'm done for the day, and I promised Raven I'd drop by. I thought I could you watch the 'training' session," she grinned and elbowed Legolas's arm.  
  
"And we WERE training, thank you." He said forcefully, rubbing the area just his shoulder.  
  
"'Course you were," her grin turned playfully evil, "and that's ALL you were doing, right?"  
  
"Shut up please," the Prince said through gritted teeth.  
  
Raven blinked in confusion, "Uh, are we going to continue this or should I go back and let you guys have your bizarre moments to yourselves?"  
  
"Oh no, of course not. Legolas and I were just having a conversation," she said, still smiling.  
  
Legolas wiped the annoyed look on his face off, "Right. Anyway, you seem to have archery down for today. After all, you DID split mine down the middle. Our next lesson would be on swordsman-"  
  
"Or swordswoman," Arien corrected.  
  
"Or swordswoman ship, but as you can see, my arm is still in bandages and though I can shoot a bow easy enough, the vigorous arm movements required for using a sword are almost impossible for me. We can start that in a few weeks."  
  
"Yea, I'd teach you, but my technique is a little 'advanced' for you just yet," she said almost smugly.  
  
Raven rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Does that mean that today's lesson is over?"  
  
"Yes," replied Legolas.  
  
"Well that was quick," the silvery blonde blinked, "What time is it?"  
  
"About a quarter past six," put in Arien.  
  
"WHAT?" Raven yelled, "Where'd the day go?"  
  
The other two shrugged, "We should be getting back now," the unusually tall woman said.  
  
The she-elf sighed and picked up her bow, "Uh, which way is it?" she asked looking at Legolas.  
  
"Follow me," he replied.  
  
"Right. Legolas can be the guide. Hey Raven, can I talk to you?" she asked, letting the Prince get a few yards ahead.  
  
The other stopped, "What is it?" she asked and slowed down so she could walk beside Arien.  
  
"Has he kissed you yet?" she asked in an obnoxiously nosy tone.  
  
The elf's face went from its pale porcelain color to a fiery crimson, "No."  
  
"Are you SURE?" her raised an eyebrow suspiciously.  
  
Raven nodded quickly.  
  
"Did you WANT him to?" the other pried, grinning.  
  
"I don't know," she said looking at the ground. Her blush was so heavy it almost looked like you could burn your fingers on her cheeks.  
  
"Yes you do," Arien said, anticipation dripping from her voice.  
  
"Well . . ." Raven's blush was deepening every moment.  
  
"Say it!"  
  
"Maybe just a little . . ."  
  
"Aha! I knew it!" she shouted triumphantly.  
  
"Knew what?" Legolas asked and glanced over his shoulder.  
  
"Nothing!" the blushing elf shot back quickly, a forced smile that almost looked like a grimace was plastered on her face.  
  
"Oh," he turned away, feeling slightly left out and ignored.  
  
"Keep it down!" she hissed at Arien.  
  
"Sorry," she smiled, "Why did you wanna kiss him?" she questioned and batted her eyes.  
  
"I dunno, I was caught up in the moment I guess," she said, feeling extremely uncomfortable.  
  
"What moment?"  
  
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, "THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" she shouted, a lot louder than what she intended. Raven slapped her hands over her mouth.  
  
"What's none of whose business?" said the confused Legolas.  
  
Hands still covering her lips, Raven slowly turned her head from side to side slowly.  
  
The dejected Prince sighed towards the palace, "Almost there," he said in a solemn tone.  
  
The next few minutes passed slowly with Arien constantly trying to pry information out of victim, so the girl was very pleased when the elven refuge came in sight, "Sanctuary!" she screamed with delight and prepared to make a run for it, but was stopped by a firm voice.  
  
"Het hemm," an elf with brownish-auburn hair, gray eyes, and draped in deep forest green called for attention, " My Prince, King Thranduil wishes your presence in council," he said with a dignified tone while bowing slightly.  
  
Legolas nodded, "Thank you Darin," he turned to face Raven and Arien with a sympathetic smile, "Sorry we got cut short. I hope to see you later in the evening," the Prince waved and headed off with the other elf.  
  
"Man, being royalty must suck," she said once the two where out of earshot.  
  
Arien smiled, "You better get used to it, 'cause you're gonna be royalty someday, too!"  
  
Raven didn't smile," Don't make me kick you."  
  
The other rolled her eyes, "Well, bye," she said walking off to her quarters.  
  
"Seeya," the elf waved and headed to her room.  
  
Sorry for such a bad ending, but I kinda wanted to get this thing updated *finally*. Sorry to keep everyone waiting for a million years. I hope you like it anyway, thought! Remember, as always, Please REVIEW! ^-^ ^. ~ 


	8. Finally!

Hello to all you faithful readers/reviewers! Hope you enjoy the eighth chapter!  
  
OH MY GOD I AM SO TOTALLY SORRY FOR TAKING SO UNBELIEVEABLY LONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
I didn't get any writing done in the summer holiday, mainly because I was caught up in traveling. I went to visit my dad for two two-week periods, visited my Grandparents in Canada for a week, and spent the majority of the rest of summer in New Zealand, Australia, and Hawai'i. (I live in West Virginia if you care to know, so it takes some time to move around.) The time that I spent at home that wasn't used with friends was wasted mainly because of writers' block. (DIE WRITERS' BLOCK, DIE!)  
  
I just seriously wanted all you people to know that I never forgot about you, and I understand if you feel that you must review death threats. but still, I hope you enjoy number eight!  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any Lord of the Rings characters. They belong to JRR Tolkien. Not me. Okay? Don't sue. Not worth it . . . unless of course you are in need of an out-dated laptop . . .  
  
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Weeks passed and Raven had adapted to life as an elf 'almost' perfectly. She memorized most floors to the palace and rarely got hopelessly lost.  
  
Legolas's bandage was removed almost two weeks ago and training lessons now consisted of not just archery, but also swordsmanship, which proved rather tiring for Raven. She definatly was no expert, but she considered herself a semi-decent fighter, at least for someone who had been practicing for about three weeks. Legolas said she'd be a top fighter in no time. Raven didn't believe him. She knew she could probably defend herself against an enemy, but she certainly couldn't see herself marching off to war.  
  
Though Legolas's training sessions could be trying and tiring, Raven found the elf himself to be quite enjoyable. Though she had yet to admit it to herself, the elf's attractive charm had finally gotten to her. Finally the wall she had constructed around her heart had been breached. Sadly, Legolas was relatively thickheaded when it came to such matters. and so was she.  
  
In contrast, Arien was well aware of her friend's feelings. She had a sort of 'intuition' about things like that. She was perfectly adjusted to life at the palace and her duties to the King. She had really warmed up to Raven over the passed few weeks, and considered herself on friendship-status with Legolas; although she still wore her mysterious silent look on for the general public.  
  
Even though she was pretty good at evading Kasseendra, she couldn't help running into her from time to time in the halls, which she almost enjoyed because she found it rather entertaining to tactfully trip her as she walked passed.  
  
Her brother on the other hand, was not so easily avoided. He was practically a stalker. Almost every corner was plagued by Roain's presence, and Raven found it impossible to go a day without bumping into him at least two or three times. This was a rather startling fact to the she-elf because the palace wasn't all that small to let their meetings be coincidences . . . it was huge, and yet . . . he was everywhere . . . As weird as this was, the more disturbing detail to Raven was that every time that she passed the guard in the hallway, he almost threatened her but let her go with an odd gleam in his eyes and a grin on his lips. Even more eerie, was the fact that whenever she had these encounters, Raven was alone. Still, she never told anyone, ignoring the meetings and forcing herself to excusing them as chance.  
  
-  
  
Raven fell to the forest floor and rested her back on a tree, "Legolas, please, no more." she begged weakly.  
  
The elf smiled smugly down at her, "Tired already, are we?"  
  
Her emerald eyes widened in frustration, "We've been going on for hours."  
  
"I'm not tired yet," He cast her a sly grin and sat beside his love.  
  
"You know, I really hate you sometimes," she panted, but smiled faintly at the same time to show no hard feelings.  
  
Legolas scoffed, "Ouch, that hurt," he laughed. "Well, I suppose six hours of training could drain an elf, a weak one that is," he added with faux arrogance.  
  
"Shut up!" Raven laughed back, and gave him a soft shove.  
  
"Come on," the warrior leapt up gracefully and lowered a hand to his apprentice, who took it and rose as smoothly as possible, which isn't saying much.  
  
Raven sheathed her blade and refastened the belt to her hips, "Okay, lead the way," she said, rhyming deliberately, and the two exited their training area. A little more than an hour later, (they walked slowly, not wanting to return to the trials of 'reality') the elves emerged from the trees of the garden-entrance to the palace.  
  
Legolas sighed, "Well, you did well today, Raven," as they drew closer to the she-elf's room. The warrior performed a cross between a nod and a bow as he opened the door, "Will I see you at Mid-Summer's Eve?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"Mmm, all right, bye Legolas," Raven answered and stepped into her suite with an involuntary grin, closing the door behind her. With a sigh, she flung her gear in the corner and prepared to crash on her bed when she noticed there was someone on it.  
  
"Raven?" came the choked voice of Arien; she sounded as if she had been crying.  
  
"Arien?!? Are you all right? How did you get in my room? I locked the door!"  
  
The unbelievably tall woman gave a snort of laughter, "No you didn't."  
  
Raven slapped her forehead, "Oops. That explains how Legolas got it open. Anyway, what's going on?"  
  
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, "Dartanian broke up with me!" she sobbed.  
  
Raven blinked, she was not expecting that. Maybe something morbid or horrible, like she accidentally killed Thranduil or something. She felt like she was back in California, comforting Stacy after her recent crush. After one or two good blinks, she wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders to console her as best she could.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it. Do you have any idea how many guys broke up with me? Trust me, a ton," she lied.  
  
Arien made a sort of gasping-sniffle noise, which Raven assumed to be a laugh, "But Dartanian was. different."  
  
"Really? How so?" the elf asked, getting her slightly perky inquisitive side back.  
  
"I dunno he just," she sighed, "was."  
  
"Ah, that makes it so much clearer."  
  
Arien rolled her eyes, "It'll never be the same. Thank god I'm not an elf. I'd die."  
  
"Bull crap," Raven said bluntly.  
  
"It's true, I loved him. and now. he's gone."  
  
"Look, we'll find you a new man. elf. thing. dude. guy ARG!" she gave an exasperated sigh, "Anyway, the point is you'll get over him, trust me. I know all about this heartache shit. It's the pits, I know. But I survived. I moved on, and so will you," Raven said with out looking at Arien.  
  
"What do you know about heartache?" she spat, much more harshly than she intended.  
  
Her words caused an uncomfortable pang to ricochet around in the elf's heart, "More pain than when your boyfriend breaks up with you," she replied darkly. Arien watched in mild confusion as a dull cast came over Raven's emerald eyes. She looked pale, dark, and cold at the same time, if you can understand that. The black-haired woman didn't like the way she stared off into the vastness of nothing, obviously recalling some memory banished long ago. What could it be? Raven rarely made references to her past, and when she did, they were vague, as if chunks where missing, but Arien never pressed. What happened to her?  
  
"What pain?" she asked, now genuinely interested and forgetting her tears.  
  
Raven snapped back to the present and the familiar gleam returned to her eyes, "Nothing."  
  
Arien raised her right eyebrow, "Oh really? Am I supposed to believe that? You've been hiding something from me for too long, now confess!"  
  
Sigh of frustration, "Leave it. Not worth it."  
  
"When are you going to tell me?(!)"  
  
"I don't know. Never if you don't shut up," she answered bluntly.  
  
The other groaned, "Alright," desperate to change the subject, "Are you going to Mid-Summer's Eve?"  
  
"Yea, I guess so. I told Legs I'd meet him," her eyes lit up the tiniest bit as she answered, "Not to mention the fact that we gotta get you over that Dar guy," she finished with a smile.  
  
"His name," she corrected with false dignity, "is Dartanian," she said with her eyes closed and her nose high in the air.  
  
"Oou, soaaaaarry!" she giggled.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas grinned as he lay at the base of a willow tree in the garden. The sun was fading behind the mountains and already stars were starting to shine. Soon the gardens would be alive with music and dance, and the celebration of Mid-Summer's Eve would begin, though this was not the reason for his smile. Raven would be there. Maybe she'd return his feelings? He had not said anything more on the subject of his love for her since the night of the festival of his return. Had she forgotten? 'No,' he assured himself mentally, 'she's not like that. right?'  
  
He let his mind wander for some time until the sound of footsteps brought him back to reality. He knew it was too late to run, so he uttered a silent prayer to remain unnoticed. Sadly for him, no such luck.  
  
"Oh! Hello, Prince Legolas!" rang Kasseendra's voice.  
  
"Hello, Kasseendra. How are you this evening?" the elf said dryly.  
  
"Just fine! Thank you for asking! Are you looking forward to the celebration?"  
  
"Yes, actually," Legolas replied thoughtfully.  
  
"So am I! I'll see you there then! Would you like to walk me back to the palace?"  
  
"I'm a little busy right now, sorry."  
  
"Oh, do you mean lying on the ground makes you busy?" she retorted at being spurned.  
  
"No, I am waiting for someone."  
  
"Oh really? Who?" Kasseendra spat.  
  
"Hello, son, Kasseendra," greeted King Thranduil.  
  
"Ah, father. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Legolas led his rescuer away, leaving an open-mouthed Kasseendra in his wake. "Just play along, I need to get away from her," he muttered under his breath.  
  
"Oh, I see. Well, as it turns out, I do have something I wished to speak with you about. I know you hate it when I bring it up, but have you well, found anyone yet? Any woman in Eyrn Lasgaelen and beyond would have you. Kasseendra."  
  
"I can't stand Kasseendra," Legolas cut in with exasperation, "and I don't just want 'any woman' I want." he trailed off and his eyes glazed a bit as he thought of the woman he loved.  
  
Thranduil smiled inwardly; he knew that look. It was the same look he wore when he first met Legolas's mother, " the Lady Raven?"  
  
Legolas sighed and looked into his father's eyes, "Aye, I think so."  
  
Thranduil smiled again, "I thought as much, you speak so much of her, and you eyes haze when you see her."  
  
The prince sighed. It felt good to finally say the words out loud.  
  
"Are you pursuing this desire?"  
  
"Tis not so simple, father. I wish it were," he trailed off.  
  
Thranduil smiled, he had said enough. It was his son's turn to take responsibility, "Anyway, I must return to my duties. I shall see you soon, good-bye," the king bid farewell to his son as he headed down another path.  
  
"Good-bye, father," Legolas smiled after Thranduil. 'I should be getting ready.' he thought off-handedly and walked back to the palace.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven smiled at her surroundings. The path down to the celebration was lit with fabulous torch-lamps with designs of birds she had never seen before on them. The sky was literally glittering with stars and the full moon hung like liquid silver in the heavens. She could tell she was nearing the site because the musical laughter of the elves was growing louder. The elf was purposely taking the long route from the back of the gardens, mainly because she wanted privacy and time to think, and few elves took the back entrance. Her mind was racing turbulently with questions about the newly important people in her life, questions of her future, some even of her past. Should she give up the shield, lose the past? Could she? Raven was so entranced with the puzzle that made up her life that she didn't hear the figure come up behind her.  
  
"Hello Raven, wandering alone?" Roain asked.  
  
His cold voice brought Raven from her trance, "What? Oh, it's you. Get the fuck away," she said forcefully.  
  
"Ooou, I'm making the mighty she-elf angry, what are you going to do to me if I don't?" He mocked with pretend fear, "Cry out for your precious Legolas?" he sneered  
  
"No, I'll rip out your eyes and tear out your brain," replied Raven in a dark monotonous voice, clearly not amused.  
  
Roain couldn't resist his disgusting laugh, "Oh, I'm frightened now!" and reached out to grab the girl's wrist, "What will she do to me if I do this?"  
  
"Touch me and I'll bite your nose off!" she shrieked so loudly and quickly, it caught Roain off guard, and he retracted his hand before it made contact. It would be utterly revolting to bite him, but Raven's teeth felt sharp, and her nails were long and hard. She was ready to attack if she had to. Bite, scratch, and hiss; it worked in high school, why not now?  
  
Roain regained his cool composure an instant later and gave her a casual smile, "We shall continue this discussion next time we meet," he waited until she was out of ear shot as he put distance back to the palace, "and trust me, one day soon, you won't be so confident," a dark smile crossed his lips.  
  
Raven gasped a sigh of relief and waited for the uncomfortable tingling sensation to finish running marathons up and down her spine. When the Olympian shiver dissipated, she followed the singing voices to the celebration, and her eyes were met with a sea of color and lights. The torch-lamp theme had continued into the main area, and the elves where wearing almost every color imaginable. Shades of greens, blues, yellows, reds, purples, and even black whirled around in a mosaic of song and dance. Another smile formed on her lips as she joined the elves and added her deep green velvet dress (complete with matching gloves that rose to the center of her upper arms) to the ocean of color.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas had been waiting and watching impatiently for half an hour before the one person responsible for his nerves being on fire arrived. 'I'm such a fool,' he thought in near misery, 'I knew I should have escorted her down.' then, the opposing side, 'No, no, no, she's on her way. She's run into a friend in the halls.' It took all his effort to keep from biting his nails.  
  
As the minutes rolled on with the speed of a snail on morphine, she finally came into the prince's view. Her silvery-blonde hair shimmered in the moonlight. Her dark green dress brought out her emerald eyes and caused her porcelain skin to glow with magnificent radiance. A graceful smile donned her lips as she joined the others. Almost immediately, a group of twirling elves rushed up to her and pulled the un-expecting elf into their dance. Soon the uneasy look melted from her face, an after shock of spinning to and unknown dance, and was replaced by an enormous grin that lit up her face as she laughed with the other elves. He felt the corners of his lips turn upward.  
  
Out of the tail of his eye, he saw a flash of movement toward Arien. The prince cast a quick glance out of instinct and saw Darin with an uncomfortable look in his eyes advance toward the black-haired woman. Legolas raised his eyebrow in amusement; it seemed his friend was going to finally address the subject of his interests.  
  
The two had been friends for thousands of years, though their relationship was not always so pleasant; as children they had been rivals thirsting for each other's blood.  
  
-  
  
Darin's mother had died giving birth, and his father was devastated. The once kind and easy-going elf became stern and harsh, always pushing his son further and harder. Without someone to show him true kindness, like his mother, Darin was easily molded after his only influence, his father. To impress this influence, he knew he had to be better than everyone else, especially Legolas. This was because his father had always looked up to Thranduil. If he could be better than Legolas, then his only role model would finally be proud of him. Of course, the prince wouldn't let this go without a fight. They constantly got into fist fights and tried their hardest to out do one another.  
  
A month after Darin's thirteenth birthday, numerous spider sightings had been reported, and young elves were forbidden from entering the forest until the threat had died down, but, of course, he didn't listen. The first chance he dared Legolas to go into the forest the first chance he got. The young prince's pride accepted the challenge instantaneously. That night, the two snuck out of their rooms and met in the gardens at midnight. They were dressed for travel. Darin led the way deep into the darkness, trying to remember the way home, and smiled in the blackness. He had a plan. He would lead Legolas into the forest, disappear in the night, and leave the prince hopelessly lost in the forest. In a day or two the other elves would find him and he would be humiliated! .But fate had other plans. An hour into their trek, when Darin was about to slip away, the two elves heard the bushes to their left shake. They turned and drew their daggers in unison. After waiting for a few seconds, the elves were about to carry on, when three long, black, furry legs soundlessly emerged from the brush. The two swallowed in stereo.  
  
High-pitched squeaking laughter broke the heavy silence, "Did the flies loose their ways?" the spider cackled as it pulled itself into view, "I should take y'es back to the nes', bu' they won' miss two flies!" it finished and charged Darin.  
  
Legolas watched in a mixture of shock and horror as the monster opened its venom-soaked pincers to his enemy's throat. In that instant, he ran the fastest he ever had in his life and swung his blade, cutting the creature's right-mid leg off. The spider howled in pain and turned its course to its attacker. It was Darin's turn to act. He ran at the beast from behind and drove hid dagger as far up into the spider's belly he could. In the instant the creature stopped and shrieked in agony, Legolas slashed as hard as he could at the spider's eight red eyes. The two continued their desperate onslaught until the monster rolled onto its back with its legs curled into the air.  
  
There are some things that are impossible to go through without becoming friends with your deepest adversary, and fighting a giant spider as one of them. From that day on, Legolas and Darin were practically inseparable. They never told anyone their secret, and their friendship remained a mystery. When Darin was old enough to hold a position in the Royal Court, Legolas instantly appealed to his father to make his friend an advisor. The years that followed, the two went on dozens of orc raids and adventures together. The last one was to the Council of Elrond. For the year that followed when Legolas was on his quest, he was close to hating himself for not volunteering to help Frodo. His friend had been brave enough to go and he admired him for it.  
  
When Legolas had returned from his last orc hunt (Darin had been attending council in Laketown and couldn't get away) Darin felt he could never forgive himself if he didn't wake up from his coma.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Arien stood a small distance from the king's throne. She had been staring off into the vastness of space for almost thirty minutes in an attempt to evade boredom. Sadly, she had no such luck. Her mind teased her with memories of Dartanian. It took all the will power she had ever known to keep a grimace form forming on her face. She had been so enthralled with her memories, that she hadn't seen Raven arrive, nor had she heard the faint footsteps behind her.  
  
"Uh, hello, Lady Arien," Darin said uneasily, bringing the woman back to the situation at hand.  
  
She slowly moved her eyes and locked with his without moving her head, "Yes, Darin?" she knew him from time spent in court.  
  
"I was wondering if you would care to dance," it was more of a question than a statement.  
  
Arien raised her brow and smiled.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas finally let his eyes wander from his friend and back to where Raven had been dancing, but she had disappeared. He scanned the crowd and spotted her taking a sip of wine from a long-fluted crystal glass. She was in an area off to the side where few elves lingered. Now was his time to act. He rose slowly from his throne and slipped as quickly as he could without being noticed by large groups of females. After what seemed to be an hour of sliding and twisting through the maze of elves, Raven finally came into his sights. She had returned the glass and stood alone. The prince stopped for a moment to watch her with a smile on his lips. Soon though, his pleasant expression faded from his high-cheek boned face as a grimace grew on Raven's.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven drank the remainder of her wine and an elf promptly took her glass. She had never tasted anything quite like it. All the alcohol she had ever had back 'home' had been bitter, but this was sweet and tasted of fruit and berries.  
  
She watched the crowd around her slowly melt away as they migrated towards the center of the establishment. She glanced up at the slightly elevated platform where Legolas and Thranduil sat, but the prince was not there. And this, brought her to thinking about, 'Legolas.' Although, an instant later, her train of thought came to a crashing halt as she saw one of her least favorite people approach; Roain. Whether or not he had seen her, Raven didn't know or care. All that mattered was that if she stayed here any longer he would, and she needed to get away. She did NOT want another encounter with him for as long as she lived. She turned on the spot and headed towards the safety of a cluster of elves, when the inevitable came; she felt Roain's cold grasp on her wrist.  
"Hello Raven, what a pleasant surprise," he said lazily.  
  
"Get your fucking hand off my wrist," she shot back through pursed lips, her voice shaking.  
  
"Oou, there you go again with that temper," he answered in his loathsome tone.  
  
Raven tore her wrist from Roain's fingers and merged as quickly as she could with a group of elves. She forced her way through the flock of dancers and pulled herself out on the other side the courtyard at the entrance to one of the numerous garden paths. A quick glance over her shoulder told her Roain had scarcely moved. Even still, she pumped her legs and ran as fast as her high-heeled shoes could carry her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas watched in grotesque slow motion as Roain grabbed Raven's hand. He heard their dialogue quite clearly, despite the noise surrounding them. He had never heard Raven tell him anything about feeling threatened by the elf, but still, he didn't trust the look in Roain's eyes. He had also seen Raven's escape, and quickly made his pursuit.  
  
As he chased after the silvery haired elf, he caught a glimpse of Arien's face; it was lit up with the brightest smile he had ever seen her wear. Her eyes were practically radiating life, and strands of her black hair bounced in her face as she danced furiously with Darin. He would have smiled merrily and waved if he had not been concentrating so hard on following Raven.  
  
As soon as he reached the path, all he saw of Raven was a swish of her cloak as she turned a corner which led to a hedge maze, "Great," he thought aloud sarcastically, it would take forever to find her in there. Legolas broke into a run. He turned right and headed into the labyrinth. The prince looked at the ground for clues as to which way she went when he reached the first fork, but the darkness and shadows made it nearly impossible to decipher a foot print from a natural rise in the dirt. He would have to guess. "Left." he spoke to the stars.  
  
After several more minutes of searching and running, Legolas came to an open area; the center of the maze. The scenery was that of an ancient weeping willow with tendrils that dipped into a small pool of water with a large rock at the natural spring's edge. The ground had turned from earth to soft grass. The entire area smelled of roses, which was to be expected because several of these flowers grew scattered in the space that was about the size of a very large classroom. An eight-foot wall of hedges surrounded all this, of course. None of these things made an impact on Legolas; his attention was captivated by the figure in the center of the chaos of roses.  
  
Raven stood staring down at the pool of water at her feet with willow branches draped over her shoulders. The clever moon caused the elf's entire form to glow sliver in her light. Legolas felt the bottom drop out of his stomach; she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen in all his long years of existence. He knew he loved her; he could smell it in the air, even above the overpowering roses.  
  
He opened his mouth to speak, but it took a few moments for his voice to surface, "Raven?"  
  
Her eyes widened in surprise at the sound of his voice and then turned to face him, "Hello, Legolas." she responded with a faint smile.  
  
Legolas slowly walked toward the elf and stopped when he was only a few inches away from her. He looked down into her emerald oceans and his brow creased; tears were forming in her eyes, "What is wrong?"  
  
"Do you remember the night you told me you loved me?" her soft voice trembled faintly.  
  
The shock must have showed up in his eyes, because a flash of pain crossed Raven's face, "Of course, and," he pulled air into his lungs, "I still do." he finished, staring into his love's eyes for a response.  
  
Her tears now barely clinging to her lashes, "I have these tears because for the longest time, I never thought I could love. you proved me wrong. " she gazed up into his blue orbs for a moment, "Legolas, I-" his lips cut her off. Her heart stopped for a moment, but resumed a steady beat as she exhaled deeply against his kiss. She raised her arms and wrapped them around Legolas's neck and shoulders. His lips felt warm and slightly moist on hers; she felt like she was falling through a cloud of ecstasy. As if acting on instinct, she returned the kiss.  
  
Legolas smiled against her lips. He had had these feelings before, but none so strong and passionate. 'This, ' he thought, 'is love,' as he bound his strong arms around Raven's slender waist and pulled her close to his body; thus deepening the kiss.  
  
After several more moments, Raven lowered her head onto Legolas's chest, but didn't leave the safety of his arms, "I love you," she said. "I love you, I love you, I love you." The tears were now rolling down her cheeks freely, "I love you," she laughed and cried at the same time, "I love you."  
  
"Shhh, don't cry," her love soothed as he kissed her tears. He bent down to her leaf shaped ear, "I love you, Raven."  
  
"You love me," his love laughed and cried again, "and I love you."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What did you think?!? Was it worth the wait? Did you like it? TELL ME PLEASE!!! Reviews make me very happy. ^-^  
  
Don't worry, this wasn't the end. This baby's got a long way to go. 


	9. Uncontrollable Passion

Hello readers and reviewers!!! Long time no read, eh? Sorry to have taken so long, but here's chapter nine!  
  
Sorry it took so long to get 'er up here; I rewrote it three times before I was satisfied.  
  
Raven sighed in annoyance. She was having difficulty releasing her hair from a scraggly branch that had latched its cursed self into her blonde locks.  
  
It had been three weeks since she gave into her feelings for Legolas. At first, the two tried to keep their relationship at a fairly low-profile, telling only those they were close to, but it wouldn't last; news like that lies loosely on the tongues of gossiping elves.  
  
But one elf had managed to evade the bombardment of news; ironically, she was the one person who would have known first: Arien. She had disappeared after Mid-Summers Eve, and Raven hadn't had the chance to speak with her. Thranduil provided that he had sent her to council with Lord Elrond in Rivendell and that she wouldn't return for several weeks.  
  
When she heard of Arien's arrival, she tore about the palace in search of her friend, without any luck. Slightly disheartened, she had raced into the forest in hot pursuit of the warrior. The only place she could think of to look was their secluded training area, and her careless speed let to her entanglement with the bush.  
  
Raven craned her neck and strained her eyes until they hurt to get a view of the thorny plant violating her hair. Finally getting an awkward view of the problem, she set her nimble fingers to work, " C'mon, you can do it, nice branch, that's a good branch, get out of Auntie Raven's hair- OUCH!" she quickly withdrew her fingers as a wickedly sharp thorn pierced her skin. The less-than-regal elf proceeded to suck the blood off her index finger, "Okay, fine. I tried to be nice to you, you stupid twig, but that wasn't good enough for you, was it?" she sent her fingers back to their task, "Alright you piece of crap, GET OFF!" she shrieked as the branch sprang free. She smiled with smug pride just as the branch reared back and raked across her face; leaving her with slash and taking her grin with it, "Bastard. I hate you," she said darkly and continued up the path, wiping the crimson liquid from her cheek.  
  
About five minutes later, the elf broke into the clearing, and as she had suspected, found Arien sitting in the lone tree over looking the pool.  
  
She was resting her back against the ancient trunk, one of her legs dangling below her and the other with its knee in the air and foot on the branch, but her eyes saw beyond the physical word and looked into her thoughts. Only the genial sound of Raven's voice brought them back.  
  
"Hey girl, long time no see! What'sup?" she asked as she pulled herself up into the roomy tree, "I've got some interesting stuff to tell you once you give me an explanation to your not saying g'bye," she finished as she planted herself on a limb next to her friend's.  
  
Even though Raven's branch was a few inches higher than hers, Arien still had to look down to make eye-contact, "Hey. Sorry I didn't say bye to you, but I had to leave immediately. Thranduil said it was 'urgent'," she replied with mock emphasis, "Do you know you're bleeding?" Arien asked with a creased brow.  
  
"That's just a little good-bye present from Mr. Bush," said Raven as she wiped it clean again on her shoulder length gloves, "What did Elrond want?"  
  
"He's finally preparing to sail across the ocean, and he wanted me to help him get everything ready. His two sons are going to rule, and that can take some hefty paper work."  
  
"Oh," Raven sighed, "wasn't he supposed to be gone already?" she looked puzzled, "Legolas said that the Ring was destroyed decades ago."  
  
"That it was, but we weren't supposed to be here either, were we?" she continued as understanding crossed Raven's face, "Gandalf didn't have an apprentice, but he does now," Arien smiled evilly as she decided to test her friend, "and the Prince of Mirkwood wasn't struggling to keep his pants on around a certain blonde elf," she laughed until tears threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes at the sight of Raven's maroon face.  
  
"Legolas and I have never- He's not like that- He wouldn't-Our love-!"  
  
Arien's eyes became as round as saucers, "Do you mean," Raven smiled and nodded, her purple complexion fading to a graceful wisp across her cheek- bones, "you finally got over your stupidity and confessed?" she nearly screamed.  
  
"Hey! I know when I'm being insulted!" Raven yelled at the insult.  
  
Arien ignored her, "When?"  
  
"The day you left. About three weeks ago," she answered a little timidly.  
  
"Is he a good kisser, he DID kiss you, right?" Arien sounded more and more like a friend she had had in ninth grade every second.  
  
"Oh, yea. He's a DAMN good kisser. . ." Raven sighed and thought of his lips on hers. Soft and sweet. . .  
  
"Hey girl, don't be zoning out on me! Have you just been kissing, or," she softened her voice seductively, "have you gone a little-"  
  
"Ts, ew, please don't continue," Raven shot back quickly while fighting a blush attack, "Even if we did, I wouldn't tell you," The soft dreamy look returned to the elf's eyes, "Besides, he respects me. He wouldn't rush into it like that. He loves me too much. I think he can sense that I'm a lot younger him, although I doubt he knows HOW MUCH younger," she finished with a laugh.  
  
Arien cocked her head to one side and raised an eyebrow, "How old are you?"  
  
"Eighteen."  
  
Arien nearly feel out of the tree, "WHAT? Wow, I'd forgotten that people on your planet only live to about eighty. Christ, it's a good thing you like older men."  
  
"When I was ten I promised myself I would never date anyone more that three years older me," Raven giggled.  
  
Arien smiled slyly and shrugged, "Well, I'm sure we can bend another 2900 years or so.  
  
"Hell yea."  
  
"I told you you'd like this guy," her friend teased.  
  
Raven blushed, "Yea. That seems so long ago," She thought of the one she loved and a serene smile graced her lips as she sighed, "I don't know how I got here, but I never want to leave. Ever. Was it ever hard leaving those you loved? Your family?  
  
"Hmm, maybe the first time. I got over it in a few weeks. So much was happening around me. I didn't have time to be homesick. After that, I became an observer, not a player. I never got close to anyone."  
  
"What about now?" Raven asked still in her dreamy tone.  
  
"Well, seeing as how I can't really go anywhere, I thought I should start enjoying the pleasure of peoples' company more," Arien smiled.  
  
Raven opened her mouth to say something in return, but her jovial expression quickly melted away and was replaced with a look of concentration and a furrowed brow.  
  
Arien gave her friend a strange look, "What?"  
  
"I thought I heard-" her voice was quickly interrupted.  
  
"Raven? Raven, where are you?" Legolas's voice rang softly in the clearing.  
  
His love's face lit up in a smile, "Ha! I knew I heard his footsteps!" She yelled in her victorious cry as she angled herself to jump out of the tree.  
  
Arien watched in silence as her friend leapt from her perch, raced across the clearing and tore into the forest. She waited about ten seconds with one eyebrow raised higher that the other. Promptly, the silence was broken by the sound of her friend's laughter as Legolas emerged carrying and spinning Raven with ease in his arms. The Prince lowered his head to his love's and stopped her giggles with his lips.  
  
Arien turned her head to offer some privacy. She smiled for her friend's happiness, but she couldn't help the slight pang of jealousy of their love. Love. The thought of the word brought her mind to yet another elf. A glint came to her eyes and her smile altered.  
  
"Come on down, Arien! It has been nearly a month since I saw you last; why the silence?" Legolas's voice broke her train of thought.  
  
"Coming," she called down as she pushed off her branch and landed exceedingly gracefully on the ground and saw that Raven had her feet firmly planted in the grass.  
  
Legolas gave her a smile and delivered Arien a friendly hug, "Let's go back to the palace. I'm certain you are tired from you journey," he broke off for a moment to give her a sly smile, "and Darin has requested to see you as soon as you return," the Prince reverted his eyesight, "Not to mention Raven needs that cut tended to," he finished as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb.  
  
Raven batted his hand away in annoyance, "I'm fine!" she wiped her blood away with her glove again.  
  
"Oh, I know melamin, I'm using it as an excuse to drive you mad," he smiled his charming smile.  
  
Arien grinned evilly," Ts, too late. She's already nuts."  
  
Raven raised her eyebrow, "Hey!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The walk back took very little time in Raven's eyes, but by the time the three arrived at the palace gates in fits of laughter, the sun was setting behind the trees.  
  
When they came to Arien's room, Legolas was not surprised to find an elf waiting by her door, "Hello Darin! I went into the woods and came out with two beautiful elves, can you believe my luck?" the two laughed as both women turned the same color scarlet.  
  
"Why hello everyone. How's the reunion?" A slithering voice made itself heard, "My Raven, you can barley tell you have been bleeding with that color complexion," Roain taunted.  
  
Raven's grip on Legolas's arm tightened involuntarily as the guard stepped closer to her. Legolas looked down in confusion at her rapidly paling face; he didn't know of their disturbing encounters.  
  
Roain finally broke his hypnotic eye contact with the she-elf and looked into Legolas's blue orbs, "I'd watch over her carefully, you wouldn't want anything to," he swiveled his gaze back to Raven, who was now trembling unnoticeably, "happen," he gave her a grin with too many teeth.  
  
Legolas felt her hands shaking against his arm, and could almost smell the unease radiating off of her. What had her going like this? Could it be Roain? Why? Whatever it was, he didn't like the way he was looking at her, or what he had said. He and Raven needed to talk. He squared his jaw and matched the other's stare, "Believe me, I will," the Prince said firmly and defensively, as if it were the underlining fact in a murder trial.  
  
The two stared at each other in the silence that followed. After about five seconds, Arien finally spoke up, "Well, it's been a long day. I think I'll just go have a rest in my room now. See you tomorrow Raven. Darin, you wanted to speak with me? Goodbye Legolas. Roain," she nodded to the last elf addressed, and the two entered her room and closed the door behind them.  
  
"I have my duties to attend to as well. It's been fun," Roain's grin resurfaced as he cast another look at Raven and turned his back to Legolas to exit the corridor.  
  
The warrior didn't remove his frozen gaze from other until he had turned at the end of the passage and disappeared around the corner. He could feel the tension lift from Raven's vice-like hold on his forearm as she leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Only then did he lower his eyes to look at her, "I think we need to talk."  
  
A few minutes later, the pair passed through the threshold to Raven's room. When Legolas was satisfied that the door was securely locked, he turned to the elf, "Why were you so frightened back there?"  
  
Raven opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.  
  
"Please, you can tell me anything," he met her eyes and took her in his arms.  
  
She was almost taken aback by the seriousness and urgency of his voice, "It's nothing, really."  
  
"Raven, you were shaking, what was wrong."  
  
"I don't know. Just a bad feeling. Don't worry about it," She looked down as she spoke her words.  
  
"I KNOW something is wrong here. I didn't like what he said. Is he hurting you?" he tightened his hold on Raven's arms.  
  
"No, it's nothing. I just think he's a little creepy," she sighed.  
  
"Yes, he's been like that for years. Are you certain that is all?"  
  
"Yes," she buried her face in his chest, "As long as I have you, nothing will ever happen to me." 'never again. . .'  
  
Legolas smiled down at her and lifted her chin with his finger to meet his gentle kiss, "I'll make sure of that."  
  
Raven broke away with a sigh, "I'm tired Legolas, it's been a long day. Good night," she walked over to her bed and lay down -without changing her clothes- and closed her eyes. Instead of hearing the door opening and closing, she felt the weight of another elf sit down next to her, and the feeling of lips on her cheekbone.  
  
"Good night, my love."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The sun's light registered in Legolas's eyes, making him blink off sleep's spell. Unwilling to get up just yet, he realized that he was still wearing his clothes from the day before. He snorted at himself in disapproval and rolled over. His heart skipped a beat; Raven was curled up with her back against his chest, asleep. As he forced himself to remember how he got here, his mind pulled up the image of him sitting by her side until she fell asleep. Somehow, he'd managed to get hypnotized by the peaceful movements of her slumber. He had recalled the fear in her eyes only hours before, and he felt it his duty to make sure she would feel safe. He had gone from his sitting position to lying down at her side; he would keep his promise. As he wrapped his arms around her waist, knowing full well of her unconsciousness, he told himself that he would leave in a few minutes time. In the end, however, he never did.  
  
He mentally cursed himself for being so careless before getting a good look at the elf before him, but quickly became entranced when he did. Almost without knowing it, Legolas traced her figure with his gentle eyes. He followed her hair line down to her ears, to the graceful bend of her neck, to her slight bust- and to the Prince's horror, lingered there long enough to notice where her collar opened enough to invite his prying eyes to see much more than they were allowed.  
  
He instantly shot his wide eyes away from Raven's chest. His breath came in short and raspy, his heart beat like a drum in his rib cage, and he felt hot and chilled at the same time. It had been almost two thousand years since he last felt this way in a certain area, and he could have killed himself for it.  
  
Legolas quickly pushed himself off Raven's bed and left her side; he would do everything in his power to protect her, but could he save her from himself? He wasn't willing to take that chance yet; he loved her far too much not to.  
  
Before forcing himself out her door, Legolas sent the elf a last fleeting glance, "To think she trusts you, you careless fool. You're pathetic. You practically begged her to love you, thinking you could control yourself, and now you go and do this," he scolded himself in self-loathing and closed the exit behind him and headed for his room.  
  
The Prince pushed his door open and threw himself down onto his bed, "You're going to ruin everything if you're not careful," he promised himself, "She's more than you deserve and you're going to blow it."  
  
"And her," came a familiar voice from behind.  
  
Legolas turned his head in surprise, "Darin, how did you get in here?"  
  
The elf shrugged, "You left the door open, and I overheard. As you're best friend, I believe I have the right to interfere with your love-life," he finished simply as he took a seat in a chair after pulling it closer to his friend.  
  
"We'll talk about my problems later. First, tell me what you and Arien spoke about last night."  
  
Darin tilted his head to one side in a cool motion, "She's agreed to go to next month's ball with me," he answered in his smooth voice, as if this happened every other week, but Legolas knew better.  
  
The Prince smirked, "Well, congratulations my friend, I knew you had to get lucky SOMEday," he teased.  
  
Darin gave him a snort-laugh in return, "Well, what's wrong? You and Raven didn't get into a fight, did you?" he asked with slight concern in his voice.  
  
"No, I just did something very careless, that's all."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I feel asleep beside her last night, and I, I saw something I shouldn't have been looking for." Legolas looked down.  
  
"Is she angry?" Darin pressed without showing emotion.  
  
Legolas laughed quietly for a moment, "She doesn't know. I left before she awoke."  
  
"Well, I'm sure you were tired. You were in a weak moment, but you won't let it happen again. Nothing ever happened in the first place."  
  
His friend sighed, "But that's just it; something DID almost happen. I, I, never mind. I stopped myself, but I should have been much more careful. It was not acceptable behavior on my part. I wouldn't blame her if she never forgave me. I-"  
  
Darin cut him off, "But you didn't let it happen. Again, you were in a weak moment. Don't let it bother you. It isn't as though you planned it or wanted it to happen, whatever it was."  
  
"But, for a second, I wanted it to. I wanted something to happen, something I am not proud of. I can't trust myself. I don't want to destroy what Raven and I share, what she entrusted in me. . ."  
  
Darin nodded, "I see. Don't dwell on what never happened. I promise you, THAT will drive her away. I've never seen you happier than you are when you're around her. You and I made a mistake in the past, but that shouldn't be enough to worry you now." with that, he stood up and exited the room, leaving Legolas alone with his thoughts.  
  
After a few more wasted minutes, the Prince pulled himself off his bed and treated his body to the feeling of fresh clothes. It was then that he remembered he had missed dinner and was rather hungry. Just as his hand touched the handle on the door, he heard a light tapping coming from the other side.  
  
He pulled the door open to see Raven's smile, "That was fast. Jeeze, what do you do, wait by the door?" she teased as she stepped past Legolas and entered his room, closing the door behind her. She looked back at him with her innocent eyes, but her playful smile soon faded. Legolas still stood by the threshold with pained eyes, "What is it?" Raven asked and walked over to him, "Is something wrong?" she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.  
  
Legolas looked down into her eyes, "I don't deserve you."  
  
For the first time in several weeks, he saw sparks of anger in the in the depths of her green orbs, "Don't give me that 'unworthy crap'. My life wasn't worth living before I met you, and at first I wasn't willing to even try to save it. You saved me Legolas, without you, I might not have a life to live."  
  
The warrior's eyes widened in confusion and fear, "What do you mean? What HAPPENED to you?" he demanded in his concern.  
  
Raven sighed, "My past means nothing now. I can't go back and change it, so don't make me relive it. I'd rather try to forget it," Legolas was still staring into her eyes, even though they wouldn't meet his. He could see tears build up and threaten to fall around her lids.  
  
Legolas placed his hands on her arms where her gloves ended, "You don't understand-"  
  
Raven cut him off, "No, you don't understand! Everyone has done something in their past, but don't let it destroy your future! Legolas, I owe you my life more times than you will ever know, and more than that," her voice cracked from the weight of the tears, "I love you, don't take that away from me," The Prince met her eyes, his own now matching her tear brimmed ones, "Please. . . " she pleaded.  
  
Her depths yearned for him to understand, to see the pure love she knew only for him, to understand the truth and naïve innocence that left her venerable and frightened, to know how desperately she needed him to be with her. It was in that instant that Legolas couldn't stand it any longer; his need for her was overwhelming. His instincts fueled the fierce passion he couldn't hold back or protect her from any longer. She would forgive him for what he did next, or he would die.  
  
Legolas swooped down caught her lips in his as he pulled her as close to him as he could until he was certain any tighter would severely cut off her air supply. He could feel Raven shaking violently in his arms; she was frightened of. . . him? No, he had caught her totally off guard and startled her, that was all. To his relief, she returned the kiss, but Legolas wasn't going to let her lead this. Driven by the emotions elves were known for, he turned the crushing kiss into a fiery passion. He slipped his hot tongue between his lips and through hers. He couldn't help the pleasure he took in her shocked surprise of the intrusion. He could feel the abnormally rapid fluttering of her heart against his chest as she tried to turn her head in protest, but Legolas wasn't about to give in. He nipped her lower lip quickly, receiving a moan from Raven, and once again felt her tremble in his arms; she knew Legolas was in complete control.  
  
The warrior smirked against her lips and continued to explore her mouth with his tongue and to explore her body with his hands. He skimmed the tips of his careful fingers from her temple, down her curves, and stopped just inside her hips, sending pleasure in shivers down her back. He quickly had to return his hand to the back of her head to stop her from falling over. When he was certain she was steady again, he sent his skillful hand to the back of her legs and scooped her up without breaking the kiss.  
  
Legolas was laying the woman on his bed in less than a second and had sent his skilled fingers to the clasps of her tunic. Just as he moved to undo a key fasten, pulled back to get a good look of Raven's eyes. He was horrified at the sight before him: her orbs showed terrible fear and uncertainty. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing, and knew she was in his hands. He suddenly became aware of the tears streaming from here eyes; tears for the fear of the situation she was in, and of him. She wasn't ready for this, but he had forced it on her without a word. He knew that the only reason she wasn't screaming in terror was her love for him. Love he didn't deserve but gave to him freely with her sweet innocence, innocence only a demon could destroy like this.  
  
Legolas took a step in shock as his senses returned to him and watched in shame as Raven held a hand to her throat to help herself breathe after going without air for so long, "Legolas, I'm sorry, you were hurting me, I tried, but I'm not ready. I, I can't do this, I'm sorry," he watched her struggle to pull in her raspy breath.  
  
"No, it's my fault," tears threatened to slide down his cheek, but he blinked them away, "It's all my fault, I betrayed your trust," the Prince knelt down beside Raven's gasping form and kissed away her tears, "please forgive me," he pleaded, fighting back his own tears while the taste of Raven's were fresh on his tongue.  
  
She laughed breathily, "It's not your fault. I could have stopped you," she looked into his eyes.  
  
"No, you couldn't have. I can't explain my actions, I, I wasn't in control."  
  
"I still do not blame you, you were not yourself. You love and respect me. You wouldn't have stopped if you didn't," her breathing was slowly returning to its steady rhythm, but it was still coming in labored gasps.  
  
"Yes, I do, but-"  
  
Raven stopped him with three fingers to his lips, "That's all that matters. Now, let me hear it," she laid her back down and closed her eyes, still panting.  
  
Legolas set himself down beside her, put his strong arms around her slender waist, and pulled her close, "I love you, Raven," he whispered gently into her leaf-shaped ear.  
  
"I know."  
  
He sighed, "Though you deserve so much more than I can give you," he continued, "I am unworthy of your love, yet you give it to me freely and beg me to keep it. I am so blessed, the Valar must truly love me," he breathed on her neck as he trailed kisses across it.  
  
"Raven smiled thoughtfully, "And me," she turned to face the warrior and nuzzled into his chest.  
  
Legolas curled himself around her possessively and as if to protect her from unseen evils, "I swear on my honor as the future king of Mirkwood, I'll never hurt you again, ever."  
  
"I don't care about honor."  
  
Legolas was taken aback; her words struck him totally off guard, "Then, on my love for you."  
  
The Prince lay awake, holding his love until sleep claimed her. He carefully rose and left a final kiss on her lips before crossing the room silently and closed the door lightly behind him; he needed to speak with Thranduil.  
  
READ THE FOLLOWING:  
  
OH. MY. GOD. Did I just write that? I can't believe I wrote that. Jesus, my fingers have minds of their own. I got a little carried away up there, didn't I? Let me know if I was too graphic, okay? I'm actually a little pleased with myself at how not difficult that was. I hope you liked the chapter, the next one will have a hell of a twist to it; I'm probably going to strangle myself for it. I hope you don't think Legolas was too OOC in this chapter, I TRIED to avoid that while keeping the intense emotions (Hopefully there were some. . .), but then again I wanted him to seem out of character; he wouldn't do that on a regular basis. Regardless, please keep reviewing so I keep writing. I know what happens in the end, the slowness just has to do with the matters in my personal life, which have been innumerably high recently. (My mom married a Joe Millionaire!) Tune in next chapter!  
  
Earenidiel Silverwing 


	10. Tears of Blood

Hello readers and reviewers! Enjoy the tenth chapter!  
  
Legolas followed the familiar passage to his father's room. As he passed Arien's door however, it swung open to reveal the assassin towering above him, "Legolas, it's good to see you. I trust you enjoyed your breakfast," she said coolly.  
  
He furrowed his brow up at her, "You know, just because Raven isn't here doesn't mean you can't speak to me like a friend, and I haven't eaten yet."  
  
Arien smiled, "I'm just messing with you," she smiled, "So, why did you skip breakfast? I know for a fact you missed dinner. You're way too thin to be on a diet, you know," she laughed.  
  
"No, I've just been busy," he looked down and sighed, but his friend didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Well, you better get going. They'll be serving lunch soon," Arien advised, and Legolas nodded as he started down the hall, "By the way, have you seen Raven? I wanted to talk to her about. . . something," she smiled slyly, not giving away her recent developments with Darin.  
  
"Let me guess, he's asked you to next month's ball?" he smirked, already knowing the answer.  
  
Arien looked taken aback, "Yes, how do you know?"  
  
"He stopped by for a visit this morning. The last time I saw Raven was when she, " he paused for a moment, " came by my room, but that was a while ago," he continued for his father's room.  
  
"Thanks! If you see her, tell her to meet me in the garden!"  
  
The Prince waved a hand and smiled the affirmative as he neared the guarded door. The soldiers bowed in recognition and let him pass through.  
  
Legolas glanced around Thranduil's room and spotted the elf outside on the balcony, "Father, I must speak with you," he called out to him as he went to join him in the open air.  
  
"What is it, son?" The King asked pleasantly surprised.  
  
For a moment the Prince stammered, not knowing what to say. All he knew was that he needed to talk about what had happened earlier with Raven, but he didn't know how or where to start.  
  
"Go on, is something troubling you?" Thranduil placed his hands on his son's shoulders.  
  
Legolas looked up into his father's eyes and nodded with a distressed expression written on his face.  
  
Thranduil creased his brow, "What is it?"  
  
Legolas swallowed, "It's Raven-"  
  
His father cut him off instantly, "Is she alright? What happened?" he shook his son's shoulders.  
  
"Yes, she's fine, but, I, I've done something despicable," he looked down again.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I, I tried to, to TAKE her, father! But, before I'd gone too far though, something about her eyes stopped me. She was terrified of me. . . I wanted to stop, but I couldn't. I had lost control of myself. . . it was like a burning desire tearing at my soul. . . I've betrayed her love, how could I do such a thing? But, somehow she still loves me. I can't understand why. I don't deserve her. She's so pure, and I nearly took it from her without a word. We've known each other for less than four months, and I've almost destroyed what I love so much about her. What can I do?" he pleaded.  
  
Thranduil's eyes saw somewhere where Legolas's could not, "Do you love her?" Legolas opened his mouth to speak, but his father wasn't finished, "Not just any kind of love, I mean TRUE. Ask yourself; what is it, infatuation, or love?"  
  
"I think I do, but, if I did, how could I have done such a thing?" the Prince said despairingly.  
  
"Don't think. Do you or do you not love this girl?"  
  
Legolas sighed breathily and thought of emerald eyes. The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a smile at the thought of her sweet lips, begging to be kissed, "Aye."  
  
Thranduil smiled, "Thought so."  
  
But the warrior wasn't done yet, "Then why-"  
  
The King stopped him with a wave of his hand, "Because you've never been in love before."  
  
Legolas looked confused, "What does that have to do with it?"  
  
"Simple, you couldn't handle the desire, but that is nothing to be ashamed of, because your love is pure."  
  
His son was still confused, "How do you know?"  
  
"Because if it wasn't, you wouldn't be here. You'd be in your bed with Raven weeping beneath you as you broke her," The bottom of Legolas's stomach dropped as he pictured the scene in his mind. He tried desperately to rid the image of what would have become of Raven's eyes: dull and empty. He shivered as his father carried on, "The fact that you stopped proves that your love for her is true, for only that could have created the bond strong enough to stop you.  
  
Legolas smiled grimly and nodded in understanding, a new hope burning in his chest, while he watched his father walk over to his desk and open a drawer. Thranduil began pulling things out as he scanned the desk's contents. The Prince came to his father's side, "What are you looking for, adar?"   
  
"Aha!" the King cried victoriously as he pulled a small cloth bag from the drawer, "I think you will have a use for this soon enough," he pulled a ring from the bag and placed it in his son's hand, "Your mother wanted the one you fell in love with to wear this."  
  
Legolas gazed at the mithril band. He had seen it before; his mother's long slender finger had carried it before she died. Although he had seen it thousands of times on her hand, he never paid any attention to its beauty. It bore a single white gem surrounded by intricate ivy vines that continued their twisting growth both outside and in the band. As he followed with his eyes them, he saw tiny elvish markings on the inside of the ring. He squinted to read them, but his father recited them for him, "It reads 'Nothing shall hinder our undying love'," he eyed his son for his reaction.  
  
Legolas opened his mouth but closed it again to choose his words, "Adar, this is-"  
  
"A wedding ring," he finished for Legolas, "for when you are ready," he smiled and embraced his son, "You may go." The king sighed peacefully when his son left, 'Eyrn Lasgaelen will have a queen again.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The warrior had no words; he was in minor shock as he left his father's room and entered his own. As he sat down on his bed, he pulled out his mother's ring and watched it in silent interest. Though the room was dully lit, the gem shimmered like a star, "Nothing shall hinder our undying love. . ."  
  
The Prince laid his head down on the pillow and smelt the familiar scents of honeysuckle, lilac, and jasmine. Though they were totally different from one another, he could never distinguish which one Raven was wearing: probably a clever mixture of the three. Raven. He sat bolt upright. Raven. He looked at the ring in his palm and smiled. It would fit her slender finger perfectly. He strode over to his desk, placed the ring in his drawer, and moved for the door.  
  
When his fingers were three feet from the door handle, he heard a light 'knock' from the other side. He pulled the door open and was greeted with Raven's timid smile, "Hello, I um, brought you some breakfast in case you missed it," she announced and held up a golden apple.  
  
"Thank you," he said, remembering how hungry he was and took the fruit from her hand. As if it had somehow zapped his memory, he swallowed the first bite and gave Raven Arien's message, "Arien wanted me to send you to the gardens to meet her. She has something important to tell you."  
  
"Oh, thank you," she said softly, daring to meet his eyes, "will I see you later then?"  
  
Legolas nodded, "Aye, I will come for you at dusk."  
  
"Alright," Raven carefully placed her arms around his neck, stood on her tip-toes, and gently kissed the peak of his cheekbone, "I love you," she rested back to the balls of her feet.  
  
Legolas smiled softly, "I know," he watched her walk away from him and disappear around the corner, and his heart sank.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven was far too proud to shed tears as she rounded the corner, but she felt like it. He was angry with her for not letting him- the thought made her shiver. No, he wasn't; he loved her. He wouldn't be angry with her for something as stupid as that. He would meet her later, and everything would right itself then. Besides, he told her he loved her earlier, and an eternity couldn't change that, let alone two hours.  
  
She passed through the gates and shot nervous looks at the guards, but quickly sighed with relief: no Roain. She wandered down one of the numerous paths until she came to a willow tree with branches that reached the ground, creating a curtain affect. She passed through and was greeted with Arien's friendly grin, "That took you long enough! I've gotta tell you about Darin!"  
  
Raven smiled, "What is it?"  
  
"He asked me to go to next month's ball with him, can you believe it? When he asked me, I acted all cool and composed, but I had a hell of a time not laughing at the butterflies in my stomach!" her friend sighed in content as she rested her back against the wide trunk.  
  
The elf smirked, "You look a lot different with googlie eyes."  
  
Arien looked up, "Ya, well know you know how I feel when you think about Legolas."  
  
Raven nodded, "True."  
  
"So where were you today?"  
  
"I was hanging out in the library mostly. I stopped by the kitchens to pick up something to eat, but I wasn't really hungry."  
  
Arien nodded, "Well, how's Legolas. I saw him earlier. He seemed a little, off."  
  
"How so?" Raven knew why.  
  
"I dunno, he was just a little quiet, like he'd done something wrong. We didn't have a very long talk. He said he needed to speak with Thranduil for some anonymous reason. Any ideas?"  
  
"Nope," she lied.  
  
Arien sighed, "Maybe he was just tired or something," she shrugged, "I'm not gonna cry about it."  
  
Raven creased her brow and smiled, "He'll get over it. Anyway, I'm going back to my room. Legolas said he was going to meet later, and I don't want to be late."  
  
"All right, seeya," she waved to her friend as she walked back to the palace.  
  
The next few hours before sundown passed uneventfully as Raven slipped into a silver gown. She loved the feeling of the fabric on her skin; it was almost like a liquid clinging to her body. Raven wasn't quite tall enough for the dress, so the last few inches trailed on the floor behind her as she walked. What she loved about it the most was the sleeves; open at the shoulders but reconnected at her elbow, reopened a few inches passed her wrists (again, she was too small for the design), and ended at her knees. She smiled at her reflection just as a sharp knocking came from the door. Her stomach somersaulted as she opened it, revealing Legolas in his royal blue robes.  
  
Her smile quickly faded, however, as he continued to stare at her with his mouth slightly open, "Yea, I know. It's a little big. I think it'll still work, don't you?" her grin returned.  
  
Legolas nodded his head, "Uh huh," without closing his mouth.  
  
Raven put a finger under his chin, "I thought so, too," she pushed his jaw upwards, "Where are we going?"  
  
The Prince blinked back to focus and forced himself to peel his eyes from Raven. 'Praise be to the Valar; she's so beautiful. . .' "I'll show you," he grinned and locked arms with the other elf.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kasseendra's blood boiled when she saw Legolas lead Raven into the dining hall. This had gone WAY too far; she needed to take action, but what? Her mind thought frantically as her eyes landed on a tray of wine-filled glasses to the Prince's left. She grinned and fingered a tiny capsule in her pocket as the scheme fell into place. She coolly walked passed the seated elves and dropped the pill in one of the glasses. Her grin widened; vengeance was sweet.  
  
Her eyes sparkled devilishly when Legolas's hand reached for the tray and selected the tainted wine, letting the poisoned liquid roll down his throat, "Would you like a drink?" he asked Raven.  
  
"Ew, I think I'll pass. I hate the taste of wine," she said as she wrinkled up her nose in distaste. She found alcohol of any kind to be terribly bitter, although she'd never had the chance to truly drink it; she was underage.  
  
Legolas looked surprised, "Well, obviously you have never tried the fine wine from Eyrn Lasgaelen! Here, just a taste and tell me you think," the Prince passed her a fresh glass, which Raven reluctantly put to her lips. He smirked as her eyes lit up in shocked surprised. It wasn't bitter to say the least, although it had a sort of fruity tang, but the main thing she noticed was the bubbles that snapped on her tongue, like it was carbonated.  
  
She quickly took another sip, "Wow, I like it!"  
  
"Told you so," the warrior raised an eyebrow.  
  
Raven stuck her tongue out.  
  
Legolas laughed in surprise at her childish action and took her arm, "Come, let's go somewhere private," he led her out of the hall and headed for the gardens, unaware of the elf following them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains when the two elves rested beneath a shade tree. The Prince sat with his back propped up with the trunk of the willow, while his love took the liberty of lying on the ground.  
  
The two remained quiet, and a slight bit of tension hung in the air, "Raven," Legolas broke the silence.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
He met her eyes, "I cannot tell you how sorry I am for putting you in that situation earlier, but I can promise this; I will never force you to do something you are not ready for, because I love you."  
  
"Legolas. . ." she breathed, "kiss me," she closed her eyes.  
  
The Prince blinked for a second before bending over Raven's form. To support himself, he cupped his hands over her wrists, rested his chest on her's, and then lowered his lips to her soft supple ones. The woman tilted her chin downwards slightly to break the gentle kiss, "I love you, too," she whispered. Legolas smiled and lowered his lips to hers once more, but before they could meet, Arien's voice sounded from the paths, "Raven? Hey, Raven? Where'd you go? Raven, hello?"  
  
The Prince stopped and sighed in annoyance, receiving a giggle from the other elf, "You should go. I'll wait here," he pulled her up lightly, and she smoothly caught his lips in a final kiss as he did so.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kasseendra watched Raven step out from the curtain the willow branches created. Once she had disappeared in search of her friend, the other made her move and walked coolly under the tree, knowing that the capsule in the Prince's wine must have taken hold by then, "Hello, Legolas."  
  
The warrior stared at her in irritated surprise, "Kasseendra, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh, just taking a walk," she sat next to him, "Are you here alone?" her voice was changing; it was getting softer. . .  
  
"As a matter of fact, I'm not. Raven will be back any moment," he looked away.  
  
"No," Kasseendra breathed in Raven's voice, "she's here now."  
  
Legolas looked back, "Raven? Where did Kass-"  
  
The enchantress cut him off, "Don't worry about her, I'm here. That's all that matters."  
  
The warrior smiled groggily, "I love you," his very eyes betrayed him as Kasseendra-Raven wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered him to the ground.  
  
"Show me."  
  
Legolas drove his lips onto hers in a fierce kiss, unaware of the fingers undoing the clasps to his tunic and robes. A warning buzzed in the back of him mind whispering of something that was terribly wrong.  
  
The woman beneath him finally succeeded in exposing the elf's chest and began working on her own; the pill would ware off soon.  
  
Legolas's thoughts were screaming insanely at him. Something about her lips weren't right; they weren't sweet, and the light in her eyes wasn't there. Then he noticed the smell of roses. . . Kasseendra wore roses; Raven wore a strange perfume. This wasn't Raven.  
  
"NO!" he screamed in horror as the woman he loved melted into Kasseendra.  
  
She moaned in false ecstasy, "Oh, don't stop Legolas! Raven, go away, can't you see where busy?"  
  
The true Raven stood just inside the curtain with wide-eyes and an open mouth. The Prince could see the disbelief in her eyes as she slowly shook her head in horror. She took a step back, tears barely clinging to her lashes. He crawled off the groaning woman beneath him, "Please, you must believe me, it's not what you think, let me explain," his eyes watered, but it was no use.  
  
The woman turned and fled, not knowing where to. When she walked in on Legolas pleasuring Kasseendra, it felt as if the planet had snapped in two. Her heart had stopped; he had betrayed her. He was just like everyone else. He never loved her. It had all been a lie. The only person who had ever loved her was Jason, but he was dead. SHE killed him. The same night that SHE gave her daughter a reason to wear elbow-length gloves. That was the night she swore never to love, but no. Legolas broke her resistance, only to torment her. She was alone again. As she thought those words, it felt as if her lungs had ignited into raging flames. The pain and emotions were so agonizing she couldn't stop herself from screaming an anguished cry as tears fell freely from her eyes.  
  
She could hear Legolas calling her name a fair distance behind her as she raced from the garden and into the forest gloom, but she refused to listen to him. She tried to exile all thoughts from her mind, but the image and sound of Kasseendra moaning was burned in her head.  
  
After what seemed hours of running, the searing pain in Raven's chest finally became unbearable; she couldn't stand it any longer. 'So this is what it's like to die of a broken heart. . .' She felt dizzy and her tears blinded her eyes, but she kept running just for the sake of it, though it wouldn't last much longer.  
  
She was lost in the twisting shadows of the trees and the creeping fog that choked her, but it was mostly the darkness that had awakened in her soul that mislaid her path. Nightmares of memories flashed before her eyes, summoning a shriek that rivaled that of the Nazgul.  
  
At first, she couldn't feel it as it pierced her flesh. Only when she saw the arrow shaft protruding from the area just above her left breast did she realize the pain; more of a sickening stinging feeling than getting stabbed with a knife. She put her hand to her wound and pulled it away, red with blood  
  
"Yes, this is dieing," a voice whispered from the gloom as the elf closed her eyes and collapsed on the forest floor.  
  
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Legolas chased desperately after Raven, abandoning Kasseendra to cackle manically in private. He called after her in horror when he caught a fleeting glimpse of her shoot off into the trees. She didn't know the dangers in those woods, nor why only the most skilled of elves dare to stray from the paths.  
  
The warrior tore after her, unafraid. She was in there because of him, because of what HE had done, or perhaps what he had not. Either way, he needed to get her out of there, for spiders and the surviving orcs and Uruk- hai didn't care if you were lost or not.  
  
Just as the thought of Raven's death plagued his mind, the most blood curtailing sound he had ever known reached him. He fell to his knees and smashed his hands against his ears, which he thought were going to start bleeding. The scream had such anguish in it, he felt his heart would burst; it was Raven's voice.  
  
Legolas forced himself to race faster when the noise finally died down. She was close, but still in grave danger if he couldn't reach her in time. The warrior broke into a clearing and nearly tripped over Raven's body but managed to twist his foot to avoid doing so, "Raven! Please just let me explai-" the Prince choked on his words when his eyes registered the arrow sticking out of her chest.  
  
"Please don't be dead!" tears gushed in rivers down his face as he ran over to examine her wound and sighed in relief when he saw the slight rise and fall of her chest. The elf knew he couldn't take the bolt out; she would bleed to death before they reached the palace. He broke the shaft about two inches from her chest, scooped her up in his arms, and ran; he was NOT going to let her die, "Please. . ." he begged allowed to any force or god that would listen, "let her live," fresh tears rolled down his proud cheekbones and splashed onto her face. He looked down and noticed for the first time the crimson streaks that led from the corners of her eyes down to the sides of her temples. His heart stopped. She was crying tears of blood; the arrow-tip had been poisoned, "Please. . ."  
  
"Now what 'ave we's 'ere?" a familiarly harsh voice rang out from behind Legolas, causing his heart to stop (again) and all the color to leave his face.  
  
'Not now. . .'  
  
"Now, don't ye's know never to step off yer paths? We's show ye's why," the spider stepped out from the darkness, "Ands ye's 'ave a friends with ye's. She doesn't looks so goods, buts she's looks tastey's. We's don't thinks she's going to makes its outs alive."  
  
Legolas clutched her tightly to his chest defensively, "Touch her and die," he hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
"We's sees about that's!" it charged the elf and with the force of a warg, knocked him to the ground, sending the unconscious Raven sliding out of his arms. The beast paid no mind to the cursing fighting elf beneath him and dove for an easier prey. The spider cackled in its high-scratchy voice and lowered its fangs to the woman's chest, causing a fierce battle cry to burst from the warrior's lungs. He wouldn't let it end like this. His mother had fallen victim to these monsters, and he wasn't going to loose another he loved to them. It didn't matter now if she didn't love him; all that was important was her life dangling from a delicate tread.  
  
His hand flew into his robes and drew his dagger, ready to strike. The spider's hysterical laughter continued and stalled its fangs from getting any closer to Raven so that it could look up into Legolas's face. Its screech ended abruptly when its gaze was met with nothing but air, "Where'd 'e go? Ha, ye's left ye's friendses to dies!" it reared back on its legs triumphantly, "Now we's eats!"  
  
"Think again," the Prince flew down from his perch on a branch onto the spider, driving his blade into its back. Black blood poured from the hideous wound as the creature shrieked in anguish and charged back into the darkness from which it had come.  
  
Legolas hastily gathered Raven in his arms again and ran as fast as his elven legs could muster. He had wasted far too much time already. The evil thoughts of panic flowed through the elf's mind; he tightened his hold and adrenalin pushed him even faster.  
  
About an hour and a half from when they entered, the Prince broke through the trees and raced into the elven city. He dashed down the center of the roads while drops of Raven's blood stained the stones beneath his feet.  
  
He was almost to the entrance of his palace when he heard Arien's shriek, "What the HELL happened?" she demanded in near hysterics, running along side Legolas through the doors.  
  
"She's been shot, Arien. What does it look like?" he snapped but continued in greater detail, "She ran into the forest; I went after her and found her like this,"  
  
"Why was she in the woods?" she had a knack to ask questions that were the most uncomfortable and difficult to answer, even if they seemed perfectly sensible things to ask.  
  
The elf sighed in half frustration and half anxiety, "There's no time for that now, I'll explain everything later," he finished, turned the corner, and leapt up the stares.  
  
Arien was close on his heals, "Who could have done this? Orcs?" her voice was only a little higher than usual, but it trembled with hate and tears.  
  
"I don't know, but when I find them, I'll-," his sentence was cut off as he kicked open the door to Raven's only hope, "Hello? I need help, now!"  
  
The head healer coolly stepped out from behind another door, but he quickly lost his calm disposition when he saw the condition of the elf before him, "How long ago did this happen?" he asked urgently and motioned to take her from his arms.  
  
Legolas moved out of his reach and placed her gently on one of the narrow beds, "At least an hour ago, I'm not sure-"  
  
The healer cut him off, "Why did you wait so long?" he demanded.  
  
"I came as fast as I could, but a spider-"  
  
"Oh, never mind there's no time," he turned his head and called over his shoulder, "Yavina, Shintara, get in here now!"  
  
Two brunette elves rushed into the room and the younger of the twins gasped at her patient, "Lady Raven's tears, they're blood!" Shintara squeaked.  
  
Yavina on the other hand, was far calmer, "Please, Prince Legolas, Lady Arien, wait outside," she opened the door and pushed them toward the exit.  
  
"No, let me stay with her!" Legolas cried, but he was already in the hall with the locked door to his back, "LET ME IN!" he screamed and slammed his fist on the door to receive no response. Tears poured down his cheeks as he threw himself into a chair, put his face in his hands, and wept, his breath coming in as sharp, trembling throbs; his fault, it was all his fault. She was dieing, and it was his fault.  
  
Arien walked over to her friend's side and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Believe Legolas, she'll make it," though she doubted her words, she needed them to be the truth 'You had better you bitch.' "Believe," water gathered on her lashes, forming a drop that fell to floor, taking all her hope with it. She gasped against Legolas's sobs; she had cried her first tear.  
  
Ou, ah, chapter ten. What did you think? You'd better tell me! Erm, I think I'm going to have to up the rating next chapter. . . Incase your wondering, no, it's not Legolas/Raven-ness. Sorry!  
  
Peace 


	11. Ravaged

Hello once again faithful readers and reviewers. I hope you enjoy chapter eleven!  
  
I've been trying to get these chapters up asap, and soon I'll have much more free time to do so. My theater program has its final showing of our play on the last weekend of January. Don't wish me luck! *hinthint*  
  
Just a quick note to Ailitheya: What country are you from? Erm, I know you were trying to improve my French, but you obviously need some more training before you can become a tutor yourself. 'Tu' is 'you' (informally of course, do you honestly believe Raven would speak respectfully to Kasseendra?) in French. 'Toi' is also 'you', but it is a STRESS pronoun. You need a SUBJECT PRONOUN (tu). The sentence you were trying to suggest would make no sense. 'Es' is 'are' (again, informally), and yes, 'bitch' is Frenglish, but thanks to Kittykatt, I now know that the correct form is une chienne (more closely translated to female dog). Once again, I know you were trying to help me, so don't think I'm harassing you. But I seriously think you might find it in your best interest for you to go over the proper pronoun usage.  
  
Stress: Je veux faire une promenade avec toi. I want to take a walk with you.  
  
Subject: Tu es une etudiante. You are a student.  
  
Now we can get on with the good stuff.  
  
Raven's eyelids opened slightly to expose a sliver of total blur. A groan escaped her chapped lips, causing a rustling sound and a sharp *thud* to her right.  
  
"Raven, you're awake!" a familiar male voice met her leaf-shaped ears. A shiver shot down her spine; she liked it.  
  
"What happened?" she asked groggily, still not recognizing the smudged image of the person by her side.  
  
"You were wounded in the forest. You fell unconscious."  
  
She inhaled sharply, remembering the searing pain just above her breast, "How long have I been out for?" she closed her eyes and placed her hand over her bandaged wound.  
  
"You have been asleep for nearly four days. The poison on the arrowhead was a strong mixture; everyone feared the worst. I've been so worried," the elf closed his eyes as well and breathed in her aroma, slowly lowering his lips to her hers, but before they brushed together, the world finally came to focus for the other. . .  
  
"YOU!" she shrieked.  
  
"Me?" Legolas asked, almost frightened.  
  
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!"  
  
The Prince had no idea someone in her condition could scream so loudly, "But let me at least explain!"  
  
"What? You wanna lie to me again?" Raven was still yelling at the top of her lungs.  
  
"No! I never lied to you-" Legolas cried.  
  
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Arien woke with a start outside the door to the sound of Raven's hysterical yelps. 'Finally, she's alive again.' She made a move to open the door and see what was going on, but then she heard Legolas's voice. She lowered her hand and pressed an ear against the door; if he wouldn't tell her what had happened between them on his own, maybe she could use other methods for information. She grinned evilly.  
  
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"Ts. You promised you would never hurt me. Guess what Legolas, you did," she looked away.  
  
"Raven, please, you must let me explain!" the pain in his voice was obvious, but she wouldn't listen.  
  
"What's to explain? I wouldn't have sex with you, so you thought you'd get some off Kasseendra. Real smooth Prince boy, real smooth."  
  
"She tricked me, I thought she was you!"  
  
She stopped him with a wave of her hand, "Legolas, do you remember when I told you not to trip?"  
  
"Yes, why?" he asked, afraid of the answer.  
  
"Well, you didn't; you took a friggin' nose dive!"  
  
Tears brimmed his eyes, "No, you don't understand."  
  
"- and I don't think you're ever going to get back up," she began to push back her covers and pull herself out of bed.  
  
"No, you mustn't move, you're not well enough," he shot out a gentle yet firm hand to her chest to stop her.  
  
The instant his fingers made contact with the area reserved for more private occasions, Raven's fist came flying out of now where and smacked down onto Legolas's face, "Don't touch me!" she shrieked, "You were one of the only two men I ever loved, but Jason's gone," tears rolled from her orbs as she looked into the other elf's eyes, "And now I know only one of them loved me back," she looked down, "The door is waiting," she pointed at the exit.  
  
As he entered the hall where Arien waited, Legolas wasn't sure what stung more; the red outline of Raven's hand on his cheek or her words. He NEEDED her to understand, to make her know that it was all nothing more that a jealous hoax, to make her know that she was his true love. He felt light headed when he saw her, and his skin tingled when they touched. A passionate flame that he had only ever known for her burned inside his body, but now her heart was encased in an icy shell that he needed to melt. She was all he wanted.  
  
"So, would you care to explain your conversation?" Arien looked down at the Prince.  
  
"You were eavesdropping, weren't you?" he said more as a statement than a question.  
  
"Not that I needed to; she was really laying it on you," she raised an eyebrow, "Was that payment for laying on Kasseendra? Would you mind explaining 'I wouldn't have sex with you so you thought you'd get some off Kasseendra'?" the exceptionally tall woman asked threateningly.  
  
Legolas gave an exasperated sigh, "Raven and I. . . I mean I got carried away and nearly. . . did something unforgivable,"  
  
"You mean tried to have sex with her," Arien interjected  
  
"Yes, but she stopped me, and I'm glad she did. She wasn't ready, I couldn't have forgiven myself," he shivered as the vision of Raven's empty eyes returned to his mind.  
  
The other nodded, "So, you were still feeling a little excited so you ran down the nearest easy female!" the other accused.  
  
"No! Let me finish! Raven and I went to the gardens to be alone. That was when we heard you calling for Raven remember? Just a few seconds later, Kasseendra found me. I told her I was there with Raven, but all of a sudden she BECAME Raven. It was almost like magic. I kissed her, but something in my thoughts told me it was wrong, but when I finally listened to it, Raven came back. She saw us and ran off into the forest, need I go on? But still, she refuses to let me explain. Why can't she understand I only love her? I NEED her," Legolas finished with near agony in his voice.  
  
Arien looked ever so slightly taken aback, but still not quite ready to trust him," Did you do anything before you went to the gardens?" she asked firmly.  
  
"No, except we stopped off at the dining hall for a glass of wine," Legolas furrowed his brow.  
  
"Yea, I remember now. . . Kasseendra was there, too. I saw her hanging around near the-" she cut herself off with a short gasp, "trays of wine!"  
  
The other elf blinked, "-and?"  
  
Arien's voice was excited, "Could she have tainted the wine somehow?"  
  
"I'm not sure. . ."  
  
"I'm going to assume you are not lying to me for the simple reason that you are my friend; I do hope you know how difficult this is for me."  
  
Legolas smirked.  
  
"Can you describe the emotions you had when you were with Kasseendra?"  
  
"I remember feeling almost dizzy. I felt impaired and groggy: practically a drunken feeling. I remember as if my part mind was screaming at my body, but somehow I wasn't in control. It didn't last long, but obviously it stayed long enough to do some serious damage," the Prince lowered his eyes.  
  
Arien's face stayed straight, "How long after you had the wine did the effects show up?  
  
"I'm not sure. Probably somewhere between half to three quarters of an hour."  
  
The woman nodded her head but stayed silent for a few seconds, "It's possible that Kasseendra drugged your drink, but I don't want to jump to conclusions," her mischievous grin resurfaced, "I've got some snooping to do."  
  
"Where?" Darin's voice rang down the hall.  
  
Arien's face lit up, "Darin!" she raced towards him and he caught her in his arms. Although Darin was considered tall among elves, he was no match for his lady's towering stature. Legolas snickered.  
  
His friend pulled away from Arien, "What are you laughing at? You're the shortest one here!" his smile quickly melted away, "In the name of the Valar, what happened to your face?"  
  
"Oh, that?" he pointed to his cheek, "Raven woke up. I've been telling you two all this time she wasn't a weakling," he sounded almost proud, but his eyes bared great pain.  
  
Darin was very confused, "Why the hell did she slap you?"  
  
Arien answered for him, "She walked in on him kissing Kasseendra, and she's not quite over it yet."  
  
The newcomer's face paled, "You didn't. How could you? She was the BEST thing that ever happened to you. How could you waste that? She was in LOVE with you!" Darin was almost shaking.  
  
Legolas knew his friend would have said different words if he knew the whole story, but somehow his talk made the Prince feel sick to his stomach with shame and grief, "For the sake of our friendship let me explain; I wasn't myself. When I looked at Kasseendra, I saw Raven.  
  
"Oh yes, they look so much alike don't they!" Darin clenched his fists.  
  
Arien smacked the back of his head, "Let the elf finish."  
  
"Something was playing with my mind. Please don't turn away from me, for you are all I have left. Raven will not listen," he felt his eyes water, "I fear she will not return to me."  
  
Darin looked at his friend with newfound sympathy and understanding, "Yes, she will," he embraced his Prince, "She must, and I am sorry for doubting you. What of Kasseendra? Surely she will be punished?"  
  
"That's what the snooping around is for," Arien smiled at the two elves, "I need something to prove Leg's behavior wasn't his own."  
  
"How do you plan on doing that?" Darin asked.  
  
"Oh, I have my ways," her eyes narrowed secretively.  
  
Legolas smiled, but he still felt the sickening emptiness welling inside his heart.  
  
"Well, I'm going to go speak with Raven; life's been on a standstill for the past few days, and I'm in a mood to give her a piece of my mind. Coming Darin?" Arien announced and dragged the elf she had addressed into Raven's room, abandoning the Prince in the hall.  
  
"Hey Raven, good to see you alive again!" Arien smiled brightly, but her expression quickly turned to one of terror when she saw her friend, "Raven! You're not supposed to be up yet!" she screamed and rushed over to the balcony.  
  
Raven looked up at her friend with a raised eyebrow, "I'm doing it because HE told me not to."  
  
"You have got to be the most stubborn stupid woman on the face of all the planets in all the space time continuums," Arien snapped, leaving Darin to blink stupidly by the door.  
  
Raven stuck her nose up in the air and crossed her arms, but it wasn't as effective as it could have been because the woman before her was almost a foot taller than she was, "I see you've been speaking with Legolas. Tell me if you would feel any different if you saw Darin lying half-naked on the one woman who kept trying to steal him away from you?" her eyes began their transformation to the red-and-puffy stage.  
  
Arien looked taken aback for the second time that hour and couldn't find any words to say.  
  
"He promised me he would never hurt me. He promised me he'd always love me, but now I know they were all lies. It's like my old life all over again, and I don't think I can stand it. Would you please just leave me alone?"  
  
"Why? So you can wallow in your own ignorant self-pity? Maybe if you gave the elf a chance to explain you would see how irrational you are being! He never left your side when you fell unconscious. He nearly DIED of grief, and you won't even give him a chance. Have you ever considered the possibility that he really does love you and speaks the truth?"  
  
The tears barely clung to her lashes, "But how do you know he speaks the truth?"  
  
"I can see it in his eyes. No one can act that well. You just suddenly refuse to accept the idea that people aren't perfect!"  
  
"You don't know what happened to me; you weren't there! You don't understand."  
  
"No, I don't! Has the thought that this could perhaps be Kasseendra's doing ever crossed your mind?"  
  
Raven stood silently; she hoped so much that the words her friend spoke were true, but the memories and scars of her past forced her tortured brain to reject the idea.  
  
"You're making a terrible mistake. You're throwing something away you may not be able to get back," with that, Arien made her exit, dragging the semi- confused Darin with her.  
  
Raven sighed and collapsed on the bed; the effort of merely standing had drained it out of her. When the sound of the two elves' footfalls faded, her tears broke the dams in her eyes, rolled down her rosy cheeks, and splashed onto her sheets. She wanted to believe Arien, but visions of Jason's body lying on the floor, a crimson streak glistening from the corner of his mouth, kept haunting her. How could she ever trust anyone again? She missed the touch of Legolas's skillful hands on her body and the feel of his lips on hers, but how could she believe him? She shook in her sobs.  
  
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Darin held the door to his room open for Arien, "Why didn't you explain Legolas's story to Raven?" he asked in confusion.  
  
"Simple, I just wanted to set the stage for him to get it out himself. He's a big boy now; he has to handle this on his own."  
  
"And what if she doesn't listen to him?" he asked desperately.  
  
"Then they're going to be very miserable, aren't they?"  
  
"How can you be so calm?"  
  
She shrugged, "I'm using my will power to force myself to know that everything will be alright," she said with her eyes clamped shut.  
  
Darin smirked, "I wish I had your confidence," he walked over to her and pressed his lips on hers. He felt the sudden jump of Arien's reaction and straightened up victoriously; there was a way to remove that cool composure. He pulled away to get a better view of her expression. She had a rosy tint to her cheeks, and a pleasantly surprised smile graced her lips, "Good night Arien, I um, never mind."  
  
She beamed, "I um never mind you too, Darin," she stepped out of the room and broke into full-loaded blush.  
  
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Legolas groaned into his pillows and rolled over to face the ceiling. He glanced over to the balcony and saw that the sun had set over the mountains as he slipped of his bed and walked out under the sky.  
  
"Please, let her still love me," he pleaded to the heavens. When he received no reply, he sighed and looked into his room. His heart stopped for a second; there was a star on his desk. The Prince blinked and remembered his mother's ring. The ring he wanted to slip on Raven's finger. The ring he wanted Raven to wear. . . for him. Would she ever? He bowed his head and recited the words engraved in the so-called indestructible mithril, "Nothing shall hinder our undying love." The warrior's eyes suddenly became heavy with tears. He had only ever shed tears once before he met her, and that was when his mother died. Raven had done so much to him, and he could almost feel physical pain now that she had removed herself from him.  
  
Another sigh escaped his lips; he was going to die if she didn't listen. He had to see her tomorrow afternoon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas knocked on the door to Raven's healing quarters and was swiftly greeted by an elf with a sort of pompous-air about her, "Yes, my Prince?"  
  
"May I speak with Lady Raven?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"I'm afraid she left last night. She insisted she to return to her room. The healers recommended she stay at least another week, but she wouldn't hear of it. She's got quite-"  
  
Legolas cut her off with a quick 'thank you' and walked briskly to the end of the hall and up a flight of stairs, and then another. When he finally arrived at her door, he lifted his fist to knock, but hesitated for a moment; this was it. He rapped on the door.  
  
The Prince waited a few seconds before Raven's surprised face appeared, "Legolas, why are you here?" she cocked her head to one side and narrowed her eyes.  
  
"I must speak with you," he said quickly.  
  
"How lovely," she said sarcastically and moved to shut the door on his face, but he caught it before it could latch.  
  
"Raven, please, for the sake of what we had, would you just hear me out?" his heart fluttered.  
  
She looked taken aback, "Not now, Legolas, later."  
  
He sighed with relief, "Meet me at the balcony in the library after sundown."  
  
The elf nodded, "I'll think about it." She closed the door and sank to the floor; she still didn't have her strength back. Raven peeled the bandage over her chest back and smiled grimly. The elven healers had truly done an excellent job at fixing up her wound, but she had received a scar. She looked out over her balcony and saw the sun was burning orange-red over the mountains.  
  
Knowing that she had little more than an hour to get out of her bedclothes and meet up with Legolas, Raven hoisted herself up and pulled open her armoire. The elf had been able to force herself to decide that Legolas deserved a chance, if only for what had happened in the past.  
  
She pulled her green finger-less gloves that reached halfway between her elbow and shoulder and pushed her door open.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas paced back and forth across the balcony, "It's sundown; where is she? She did say she was coming, right?" he gasped, "No, she said she'd THINK about it," his steps quickened.  
  
"Um, am I interrupting something?" Raven asked from her leaning position on the archway.  
  
The Prince sighed with relief, "You came," he stopped pacing and jumped right on what he needed to say before she could object, "That night, it wasn't my fault. Kasseendra planned the whole thing. Arien believes she may have tainted my wine. Whatever it was, when she came, I tried to make her leave, but when I looked back at her she was you," his eyes pleaded with her to understand.  
  
"But that doesn't make any sense. I loved you once, Legolas, but-"  
  
He stopped her with three fingertips to her lips, causing tears to shimmer on her emerald orbs, "Please, let me finish. When I kissed her, my mind told me something wasn't right, but by the time I could stop myself," he didn't need to continue.  
  
She wanted so hard to believe him, but all could think of was a small girl falling to her knees and clutching her arms, blood dripping from between her fingers. A boy, larger than the girl, lay next to her. He wasn't moving. Tears fell from Raven's eyes.  
  
"Raven? What's wrong? Why are you shaking? Who's Jason? Raven!" he shot out his arms to her shoulders and shook her until she opened her eyes and looked into his, "What's going on?" he asked urgently, "Who's Jason? You where calling his name!"  
  
"My brother," she cried.  
  
"What HAPPENED to you?"  
  
She tried to escape his grip, but he refused to let go, "She killed him, my mother killed him because he wouldn't let her hurt me!" she sobbed  
  
Legolas almost lost his hold in his shock, "How could a parent harm her child?" he asked himself. The warrior looked down at the tormented girl in his arms. No wonder she was so confused; what had he done? "No matter what happened to you in your past, all wounds will heal, all scars will fade. I love you; I always have. Please," he breathed a silent prayer and placed his lips on hers. He felt Raven's muscles tense in protest, but he wouldn't let her go; he needed her like he needed air.  
  
Raven finally rejected her complaint and let her wants and needs take over her system once more and rolled her head back, giving Legolas total control. He didn't need the invitation twice before taking advantage of the situation and intensified the kiss as he squeezed her as close to him as he could get. Before he could take it any farther though, Raven began to pull away once more, and this time she succeeded, "Legolas, I," she shook her head, turned, and rushed out the door, not knowing where to go.  
  
The Prince remained rooted to the spot in an attempt to recover from his slight shock, but followed her exit a few moments later.  
  
Raven rushed up a flight of stairs and without thinking, immediately took a left turn. Just as she did so, she collided with yet another elf, "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. I have a lot on my mind," she apologized before her eyes could focus on the face of the other.  
  
"I'm sure you do, my Lady Raven," Roain's grinned.  
  
"Leave me alone," she said darkly and walked passed him.  
  
"Sad isn't it," Roain saw Raven stop and search his face questioningly before he continued, "that our foolishness often comes back to haunt us?" his eyes narrowed secretively, as if he knew something she did not.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"All those times we so," he paused to add a dramatic effect, "surprisingly met, of course. You should have told the Prince when you had the chance, for now it's far too late," he took a step toward her.  
  
"What ARE you talking about? I don't need HIM, thank you," she turned to leave, but icy fingers wrapped themselves around her wrist, "Let go of me."  
  
His grin widened and his eyes narrowed even more, "No."  
  
Butterflies fluttered madly in her stomach in warning, "Have you any idea what you are doing? Let g-"  
  
Roain's lips engulfed her mouth in a voracious kiss and slammed her against the wall, "Now you'll learn the meaning of misery," he growled.  
  
Raven wasn't about to go quietly. She turned the gem on her ring to the inside of her palm and slapped him across the face, raking a trail of blood from his cheekbone to chin. In Roain's stunned shock that followed, the elf tore down the hall, raced to her unlocked door, threw it open, and collapsed on the other side. She panted for a few seconds when her heart stopped; the handle was turning.  
  
"Oh Raven, you forgot to lock the door," Roain said with an almost musical quality from the other side.  
  
The woman used all the strength she had ever known to fight the elf's weight on her door; if he got in there, nothing would stop him from doing anything, "HELP!" she shrieked, "Anyone! He's going to KILL me!" 'Why is no one coming?' The realization hit her like a slap on the face. 'It's nightfall; everyone is in the ballroom for dinner. . .'  
  
With a sudden burst of energy, Roain forced the door open and leapt in the room, "There's no one to save you now, Raven. You're all alone."  
  
The elf trembled in her terror and felt the tears well up in her eyes as he began to walk to her. She ran to the closed door, but before she could open it, Roain had caught her upper arm and dug his nails into her flesh until she bleed. She sucked in air to scream, but he quickly smothered her cry with his mouth and bruised her lips in a greedy kiss. Raven defiantly clenched her teeth when he tried to slip his tongue through her lips, only to receive a blow to the head from Roain's fist. Seizing the opportunity, he drove his tongue into her crevasses and forced her onto her bed.  
  
Raven screamed and struggled against his invasion, but it was no use. When his tongue flicked against the inside of her cheek, she felt she was going to be sick. Instead, she did the best thing she could think of and slammed her teeth down as hard as she could. The elf took great satisfaction in the yelps she caused and spat his salty blood out of her mouth. Though she smiled with smug pride, her victim was not so amused.  
  
"You BITCH!" he slammed his elbow down on her left breast, sending pain coursing through her veins. He fought against her flailing arms and legs as he undid the clasps to her tunic, but her struggling body and cries of fright excited him as he sucked the tears off her cheeks, leaving lip marks.  
  
Once he had torn her shirt and bandage away, he used his lips, tongue, teeth, and hands to violate and degrade her body as he pleased. When Roain's wandering mouth came to the scar above her red and swollen breast, he snickered in her weeping face, "Ah yes, I had almost forgotten my arrow. I had intended upon killing you then and there, but when I failed, I formulated a new plan. I decided there are worse things than death; I'm sure you know that by now. I'll leave your broken body at Legolas's feet. It's a shame you didn't believe him; he was telling the truth. Perhaps if you had only listened to him, I'd be holding my heart in my hands and he'd be holding you in his.  
  
Raven growled fiercely and smashed the heel of her palm into Roain's nose. The crunching sound of bone and cartilage snapping and scrapping that followed was enough to make her vomit, but the enraged elf on top of her instantly smacked his fist into her temple, rendering her unconscious. As he continued to undress, the sick grin slowly melted off his face. He craved the feeling of her body writhing and thrashing beneath him. He hungered for the sound of her sobs. He smirked as he tore strips of cloth from her sheets and fastened her wrists to the bedposts. He hurriedly took off his shirt and struggled to remove her long skirt, but left his pants on; he wanted her to watch that part. He stared at her naked form as he tied her ankles to the posts opposite her wrists. Once he finished securing her, he noticed that he had forgotten those stupid gloves she always wore.  
  
Roain moved to untie the knots around her wrists, but his victim moaned beneath him; she was waking up. He decided to leave the gloves.  
  
It was a pity he was going to destroy her like this; she truly was beautiful, both in body and spirit. In fact, it was that spirit that had fascinated him in the first place. He had known ever since he first saw her that he had to have her. He wouldn't kill her, but her soul would never recover from what he had always known he was going to do.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas left the ballroom and abandoned his half-eaten dinner. He felt more like a walk than food. As he passed through the door he glanced back at Arien and saw that Raven's seat was unoccupied. He quickly dismissed it for obvious reasons and headed for his room. A sound that seemed oddly like a woman's scream met his ears as he passed one of the staircases, and he stopped for a moment and listened. When he didn't hear anything else, he put it uneasily aside as a draft of wind, but kept his senses on alert; he had a nagging sensation in the back of his mind that he couldn't identify.  
  
He passed his father's room and furrowed his brow disapprovingly, "You," he spoke to the solitary soldier, "there are always supposed to be two guards here. Who is the other on duty?" Legolas's heart plummeted like a rock when he heard the response.  
  
"Roain Greysky."  
  
The Prince's legs propelled his faster than he knew possible as the pieces to the puzzle fell into place in his mind; he had been stalking her. How could he have been so blind?  
  
He tore up the second flight of stairs when he heard Raven's voice cry out from the end of the corridor, "Please, Roain, no," he felt his blood boil as he reached for his knife and realized he was unarmed. It didn't matter now; Legolas would kill him with his bare hands.  
  
Raven wept beneath the elf as he squeezed her breasts and dragged his tongue along her neck before he reared back and undid the fasten at the base of his pants, "Please don't do this," tears rolled down her flushed cheeks.  
  
"Don't worry, you won't remember a thing when I'm through," he moved to the last button.  
  
"Legolas, I'm sorry," she closed her eyes and fell limp.  
  
At that moment Legolas kicked the door open and stood motionless for half a second to take in the scene in front of him; Roain was mounted atop Raven's naked weeping form. The image of her dull and empty eyes retuned to his mind. How could Roain want to do this? Legolas shook with rage and his orbs burned with the flame of the warrior who had been long forgotten once the Ring had been destroyed, "GET OFF HER!" he sent his entire arm crashing into Roain's face and watched him fall over backwards off the bed, "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER?"  
  
The elf took the less than subtle hint and ran for his life to the balcony, "You don't think you've won, do you? You can't protect her forever, Prince. One day, when you're not looking, she won't be so lucky. I guarantee my arrows and appendages never miss twice."  
  
Legolas thirsted for his blood. Seeing him defile Raven's body brought a fury unlike any he had never known. How could anyone taint something as pure and innocent as her like this? "I'LL RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!" but before he could get his hands near their target, Roain leapt down to the forest floor with a grin and raced off through the gloom. Fuming, the Prince turned from the railing and remembered the reason for his being there; Raven.  
  
He raced to her side and knelt down to avoid seeing anything more than she would allow, "Are you alright?" No answer, "Raven? It's alright, I'm here now." Silence, "Raven?" he swallowed heavily and dared to look at what was forbidden to him. What he saw nearly killed him; her lips and breasts were bruised and swollen. Her body was covered in marks made by lips and scratches. Roain had shown no mercy when he ravished her. Legolas swore to himself then and there if he ever saw that miserable creature again he would kill him on sight; the way he tried to ruin his love was unforgivable. Tears fell from his eyes as he untied the cords that bound her wrists and ankles and covered her with one of the sheets, "Please wake up," he shook in his sobs as he gathered her battered body in his arms and lowered his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, "I love you."  
  
Raven's eyes slowly fluttered open, "Legolas, I'm sorry," she breathed weakly.  
  
The Prince sighed with relief, "Don't be."  
  
"I never should have doubted you. Can you ever forgive me?" she hadn't moved since she awoke.  
  
"There's nothing to forgive but my not being able to protect you. You could have been," he choked on his tears.  
  
"Shh," she soothed softly, "You saved me," she closed her eyes, "again," her eyes glazed a bit, "Thank you."  
  
For Raven's sake, the Prince wasn't sure if he should be in her room at this moment. He removed his arms and prepared to reluctantly leave her side, but was stopped by her voice, "Please, don't leave me," she reached out and placed her hands on his arm, "I don't want to be alone."  
  
Legolas swallowed and lay back down, "Raven, I. . . I should go. . ."  
  
"Hold me," she closed her eyes, "I was so scared."  
  
The Prince's muscles tensed for a moment when he thought of what Roain had done to her and pulled her to his chest protectively, "He can't hurt you now that I'm here."  
  
She snuggled closer to him, "What if he comes back?"  
  
The warrior hadn't thought of that, "I won't let him hurt you ever again," he placed his hands on her back possessively.  
  
"I love you," she breathed.  
  
Legolas had almost forgotten how good it felt to hear those words, "I love you too."  
  
He lay with Raven in his arms well after she fell asleep; he was too frightened to leave her. Roain's words rang through his mind, "You can't protect her forever, Prince. One day, when you're not looking, she won't be so lucky." He wasn't going to let that happen. EVER.  
  
Review and let me know what you thought! I just had three snow days in a row so I had A LOT of time to work on it! Hope you like it! 


	12. Secrets

Sorry to keep all my faithful readers and reviewers waiting! I'm done with my theater program for the next several months, so I'll be able to dedicate much more time to writing. I hope you enjoy Chapter twelve.  
  
DISCLAIMER: No matter how much I wish I did, I do not own any LOTR characters or places. They belong to JRR Tolkien . . . wait, if he is gone, whom do they belong to now?  
  
Legolas sighed in disgust; he had been searching the forest for Roain and Kasseendra for the past two weeks with no luck.  
  
"Legolas, we've been out here for weeks. You know I want to catch them as much as you do, but don't you think it's time we returned home? Besides, the spiders probably picked them off days ago . . . not to mention Arien's going to kill me for not letting her come," Darin rode up beside the Prince.  
  
His friend half-smirked. They had left as soon as he had made sure Raven would be taken care of, and Darin thought it would be best if Arien stayed behind to make sure she'd be alright, "I suppose we could give it a rest," he turned to the other, "I do miss home," he turned Arod to face the group behind him, "Head east; we return home!" cheers erupted from the elves. They would follow their Prince to the end of the world, but they were anxious to leave the gloom of Mirkwood.  
  
The elves turned their horses and galloped to the palace, and Legolas and Darin held up the rear, "Don't worry Legolas, he won't come back. Even if he does, we'll be there. He'll never harm her again."  
  
The warrior looked at his companion, "I plead the Valar each night to keep her safe, but I'm afraid that one day when I'm not looking," he looked away and cut himself off, "I'd die."  
  
Darin blinked, "You really love her, don't you."  
  
Legolas reverted his vision," Aye."  
  
His friend grinned, "I can tell. It's been what, six months since she came to us?"  
  
"And five days."  
  
Darin nodded, "I can't wait until we get back."  
  
"Nor I, my friend, nor I," he sighed and ended the conversation.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The party of elves on horses continued their trot for several hours until the fog and gloom of the forest engulfed the last of the sunlight that sneaked trough openings in the dense foliage. It would be at least another good day of riding before they would reach the palace, but despite the miserable scenery and journey ahead, spirits were high. The group set camp and assigned guard duty, which had become a nightly ritual over the past two weeks. Though it was Legolas's chance to catch a wink of sleep, he refused to do so, "Ardis, I cannot sleep, let me take over," the other elf nodded in thanks and promptly dropped off to dreams.  
  
The Prince saw that the fire burned low. He stepped outside the ring of light to find the pile of wood Darin had stacked for such an occasion, but he couldn't find it. Confused, he wandered deeper into the forest to find the timber. After a few minutes of searching, Legolas turned around empty- handed; the firewood was not worth getting lost over, but it seemed he was too late. He looked around frantically; the camp was gone. He saw nothing but the darkness, "Darin? Ardis? Ilumien? The fire must have burned out! Where are you?" No answer, "Darin?" Silence. The warrior stood alone in the dark, refusing to show fear. He would stand there all night until the sun rose if he had to, but then he heard it. The clash of metal reached his leaf-shaped ears, immediately followed by a bone-chilling shriek that stopped the rhythmic beating of his heart; he knew that voice.  
  
"RAVEN!" he shouted will all the force he could muster. How did she get so far from the palace? Something must have happened, and she must have left to find him! There were plenty of other elves to search for Roain; why did he leave her? He should have stayed by her side, "Raven?" he called again as he ran in the direction of her screams.  
  
Not far off in the distance he heard another voice. It cackled victoriously and was soon accompanied by another of Raven's pained cries. Legolas's eyes filled with fear and hate, "Get away from her!"  
  
The warrior-reborn burst through a clearing and couldn't help screaming in agony at what he saw; Roain's naked form was mounted atop Raven's body with his lips were pressed against her neck, but she did not protest. Roain raised his grinning face to look directly into the Prince's eyes, and Legolas was mortified by his appearance. Roain's orbs were the darkest shade of black he had ever seen, a kind of black one cannot describe and can only be seen to understand, with blood-red slits for pupils. Crimson streaks dripped from the corners of his mouth, and he knew it was Raven's blood. Legolas looked down into her orbs helplessly and felt as if a lightning bolt had crashed out of the heavens and struck him; her emerald eyes were blank and empty. She was dead. The Prince fell to his knees in shock, but frozen fingers wrapped themselves around his neck and lifted him to his feet. He looked down into Roain's now lidless eyes. The demon grinned up at Legolas, revealing three-inch-long white fangs, "You are too late. Now I shall show you what your love truly is!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"LEGOLAS!" Darin shook his friend awake, "Wake up!"  
  
The Prince woke with a start, "What? Where's Roain? Her eyes, Raven's eyes, she's dead!" he cried.  
  
"Legolas, you were dreaming. Raven's fine. You will see her today, and Roain's gone. It was nothing!" Darin held onto his Prince's shoulders as a small circle of elves gathered around the source of the uproar.  
  
"Darin?" Legolas blinked the world into focus, "What happened?"  
  
"You cried out in your sleep, and I woke you. We need to start riding if we are to reach the palace by sundown," he pulled his friend up.  
  
"No," Legolas said as he hurriedly folded his blanket and stowed it on Arod's hide.  
  
"No what?" Darin asked, mirroring the warrior's actions.  
  
"We must return to the palace before the sun touches the mountains," he ordered and leapt to his stallion's back, "Something is wrong," he waited for the others to mount their horses before breaking into a gallop, "I can feel it."  
  
"I don't understand!" Darin called to his friend as he squinted against the wind.  
  
"Neither do I!" he shouted back but didn't slow his speed.  
  
"We need to slow down! The horses cannot keep this speed up for long," Elra, Darin's mare, already showed signs of fatigue.  
  
"Arod can," Legolas breathed as his companions steady grew smaller and smaller behind him, but he refused to slow down. The image of Raven's death was still fresh and vivid in his mind, tormenting him. He needed to hold her in his arms and be certain she was safe. He urged his horse faster, "I'm sorry Arod, but you mustn't slow down. We need to get home as swiftly as possible."  
  
The stallion whinnied and shook his mane. He was far too proud to slow his pace for even a second.  
  
Legolas smiled, "I knew I could count on you, old friend."  
  
Through the trees, the elf watched the sun sink lower and lower in the sky until it turned red over the mountains. He felt his heart quicken; he could see one of the palace turrets rising above the forest, "Almost there Arod, almost there!" he rubbed his horse's neck encouragingly.  
  
Minutes later, the gates of Legolas's home greeted him as he dismounted hurriedly and sent Arod the stables. The Prince rushed in through the garden entrance, up two flights of stairs, and down the hall. As he neared Raven's room, the door swung open, and Arien stepped through.  
  
Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they spotted the elf- prince sprinting toward her," Gyah!" she yelped and jumped out of the way, causing him the discomfort of smacking into the door, "In the name of the Valar what ARE you doing?"  
  
"I must see Raven," he answered quickly and tried to peer over the unusually tall woman's shoulder.  
  
She sighed in exasperation, "You'll never find her in there. You took her down to the infirmary. Injuries like hers don't disappear in a few days," she sucked in breath and wanted to finish off by saying 'What the hell were you thinking when you left two weeks ago? She needed you to be with her,' but she saw the angst and regret in his eyes and decided to hold her sharp tongue, "Did you find them? Where is Darin?" she asked as she led him to Raven.  
  
"No, we never found a trace of either of them, and Darin and the others are still on the way back."  
  
"How did you get here so quickly?" Arien furrowed her eyebrows.  
  
"Arod and I raced for hours to get here as fast as we could."  
  
"Why?" she shook her head.  
  
"I needed to see Raven."  
  
"Yes, we have established this. Why do you need to see Raven so badly?"  
  
"I saw her death in a dream last night, and I needed to know she was alright," he quickened his pace.  
  
Arien nodded, "I wouldn't tell her that if I were you. She claims to be perfectly fine, but we both know that's her pride talking."  
  
Legolas snort-laughed.  
  
"That wasn't meant to be humorous," she eyed him irritably, "The point is her injuries, mentally and physically, were much worse that what they seemed."  
  
"What do you mean?" he stared into her eyes and froze.  
  
"Legolas, Roain nearly beat her to death. If he had succeeded in raping her, that wouldn't have mattered though; the mental strain would have broken her mind. She would have died," she said solemnly.  
  
Though he already knew this, the Prince winced at her words; it disturbed him to hear the prediction aloud, "She WILL recover, won't she?"  
  
"Yes, of course, she's too stubborn not to, but no one, I doubt even she, can tell just how deeply the trauma has effected her.  
  
The elf nodded grimly as they neared the door to her temporary room.  
  
"Legolas," she stopped him with the sudden urgency of her voice, "something happened to her before she came to us. She won't tell me what, but I can sense she's locked a memory in her mind that was less than pleasant. After the incidents with Kasseendra and Roain, I'm not sure how much more she can take. Whatever happens from here, it's up to you to protect her. Everyone, even elves with constitutions as strong as Raven's, has a breaking point.  
  
Legolas placed his hand on the knob, "I know," he stepped through the door.  
  
His elven eyes quickly adjusted to the light, showing him the silhouette of a sleeping she-elf, "Raven?" he asked softly and kneeled down by her side.  
  
The captor of his heart stirred, "Legolas?" she awoke suddenly and sat bold- upright. The force of gravity caused her sheets to fall away from her torso, revealing bandages that came from her underarms to the base of her ribcage. She saw the pain in his eyes as they ran up and down her body, taking in every cut, bruise, and bandage, "I've missed you," she blushed slightly and her eyes glazed.  
  
"And I you, melamin," he pressed his lips to hers.  
  
She pulled her head back in her pillow, but Legolas lips remained hovering a few centimeters above her skin, "Did you find him?"  
  
The Prince caught his breath for a second, "No," he could see the fear in her eyes and the goose bumps begin to form on the portion of her arms that were not hidden by her gloves, "But do not worry, I will not let him harm you ever again."  
  
Raven nodded, "Are the others back yet?" she breathed.  
  
"No, I took a much faster pace than they did because I needed to see you," he blinked the memory of his dream out of his mind.  
  
"Why?" she closed her eyes.  
  
"Because I love you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Legolas lowered his mouth in another kiss and caressed her cheek with his thumb, "Yes," he spoke from the corner of his mouth.  
  
Raven smiled against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, but he placed his around her bare waist. She pulled him down next to her on the small bed and snuggled up against him, "I'm so glad you've come back," she looked up at him with her emerald eyes, "Promise you won't leave me again?"  
  
Legolas smiled down at the woman he loved and glanced at the wounds that occurred during his absence two weeks ago, "Yes," he placed a loving kiss on her creamy lips.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas woke in Raven's arm to a light knocking from the other side of the door. He quickly answered it to keep from waking the sleeping she-elf, "Darin! You made it back alright!" he whispered.  
  
His friend nodded, "We got here well after sundown, but then again, our horses don't have the blood of the Mearas flowing in their veins."  
  
"What did you need me for?" the Prince jumped right to the point; he wanted to get back to the warmth of Raven's arms.  
  
"It's not I who needs you, but your father."  
  
Legolas furrowed his eyebrows, "What does he want?"  
  
"I'm not certain, but he seemed upset. Besides, I doubt you greeted him when you arrived last night," he said smugly.  
  
The tips of his friend's ears turned pink, "I had forgotten; Raven was all I thought about."  
  
Darin smirked, "Let's go. Your father is waiting."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas bid his companion farewell and stepped into the King's room, "Father? You wished to see me?"  
  
"Ah, Legolas, why did you not come to me when you returned yesterday?" he knew what had kept him of course, but he took pleasure in hearing it from his son's voice.  
  
"I'm sorry Father, but the Lady Raven ruled my thoughts yester eve," the faintest blush lit his cheekbones, "What was it that you wished to tell me?"  
  
The warmth was quickly drawn from his father's face, "An emissary of Minas Tirith came to the palace three days ago. He brought tidings from the King and was sent to speak with you, but since you were absent, I agreed to relay the message to you. There is no easy way for me to tell you this, so I shall go straight to the point. Legolas, Estel, Aragorn, is not well. His Numenorian blood preserved his youth for thrice that of any normal man, but mortality has finally caught up with him. I am sorry my son, but he is dying," he placed a supporting hand on Legolas's shoulder.  
  
Thranduil's words hit the Prince like a pile of bricks to the face; the man he saw as a friend, brother, leader, and even grown to love was leaving this world. Such was the bitterness of mortality, "I must go to him at once."  
  
"I knew you would say such a thing. I ordered Arod fed with our finest oats early this morning and had him saddled. Darin and Arien will be riding with you I presume?"  
  
"If you can spare them for a few weeks," it was not shame for asking that kept the Prince from meeting his eyes.  
  
"Of course. Hurry and get them ready. I shall see to your horses and provisions," he dismissed his son with a wave of his hand.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas entered Raven's temporary room and found her sitting up and in conversation with Darin and Arien. She smiled at him as he came near, but her happiness was quickly replaced with concern at the shocked expression on his face, "What's wrong Legolas?"  
  
He looked up at the three elves, "Aragorn lies dying in Minas Tirith," he said in disbelief.  
  
Arien's mouth hung slightly open, Raven's face paled, and Darin swallowed heavily, "I'm coming with you."  
  
Legolas smiled grimly, "You know me well. I have not even told you I was going."  
  
"Me too," Arien stated firmly.  
  
"And me," Raven offered with sympathetic eyes.  
  
The Prince's eyes widened slightly, "No. You are not yet strong enough to ride such a distance. You must stay here, melamin, where you can rest," he said earnestly.  
  
Raven's eye twitched, "What did you say? In case you've forgotten, you PROMISED never to leave me again."  
  
Legolas's expression quickly changed from that of sorrow to self-scorn, "No, I haven't forgotten, it's just that you are not yet well enough for such a long journey."  
  
"Like hell I'm not!" Raven fumed, "You only just got back, and now you want to break your PROMISE and abandon me! I'm smart enough to know that a trip to Gondor is going to take much longer than two weeks; two MONTHS would be pushing it!  
  
The warrior sighed in defeat and mentally scolded himself; he could single handedly take on a small army of Uruk-hai and live to tell about it, but couldn't control one wounded she-elf, "You win."  
  
Raven's face lit up in a brilliant smile, "I knew you'd see it my way!" keeping as straight a face as possible, she pulled herself out of bed.  
'Besides,' she concluded in her mind, 'he needs me just as much as I need him.'  
  
Despite Raven's efforts to hide it, Arien saw the pain of her wounds shoot through her friend's eyes. Legolas was right; it was very unwise for Raven to accompany them in her condition, but it could not be avoided, "Raven, I don't think it's a good idea for you to come with us, but seeing as how you are as stubborn as an ass-"  
  
"Thank you," she interjected cheerfully.  
  
"- you're going to come anyway," she eyed Raven in irritation, "Regardless, I cannot allow you to ride your own horse; you do NOT have the strength," she looked directly into Legolas's blue orbs before continuing, "You will have to ride with one of us."  
  
"No problem," the green-eyed elf shrugged.  
  
The Prince swallowed. He'd be spending the next several weeks with Raven behind him, arms wrapped around his waist, or worse, she could sit in front of him . . .  
  
"Hurry everyone, we must get ready," Darin chimed in and knowingly stopped dirty thoughts from entering his friend's mind, "we haven't any time to lose," he locked arms with Arien and Legolas, dragging them from the room.  
  
"Legs, are you feeling alright? I know you're upset about Aragorn, but there's no point to worrying about it now," Arien put in, "believe me. I've lost people I cared about," she blinked, "Four of them in fact, all at once."  
  
Darin's eyes widened in concern for obvious reasons, "What?"  
  
Arien sighed and said in a soft tone, as if she were explaining something to a six-year-old, "Don't worry Darin, that was a very long time ago. I'm over it," she patted him gently on the shoulder three times.  
  
He cast her an uneasy glance but accepted her answer before leaving his friends and entering his room, "I shall meet you by the stables in an hour," he kissed Arien's cheek and closed his door.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven smiled up at her three companions, "Are you quite certain I can't ride my own horse?"  
  
The elves rolled their eyes, "Yes," came the reply in unison.  
  
"Then who gets the backseat driver?"  
  
The two males furrowed their brows in confusion while Arien smirked, "Legolas, you may have the honor."  
  
"Right," he bent down toward Raven and took her hand gently, "It'll be just like before," he smiled.  
  
"Great, but this time, can we avoid the spiders?"  
  
"I intend to, but if not," he caught her lips on his briefly as he pulled her up and sat her behind him, "I've got more than one arrow."  
  
"I can see that," Raven wrapped her arms around his waist and stared at the full quiver on his back, "Oh, hello King Thranduil."  
  
"Lady Raven."  
  
Legolas turned his head awkwardly to see the King, "Hello Father."  
  
"Hello son. I thought I would come see you off," he placed a loving hand on the elf's knee.  
  
"I shall miss you, Adar," he smiled grimly.  
  
"And I you. I shall see you when the leaves are full."  
  
Raven cut in, "What? But it's autumn! Are you saying we won't be back until Summer?"  
  
"If we don't leave soon we won't be back at all because we won't have left," a cool voice interjected.  
  
Darin turned his horse to face the newcomer, "Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Armanis, an ambassador of King Aragorn," he responded with a stately air.  
  
"Will you be riding with us, Armanis?" Arien asked in an equal manor.  
  
"I will be doing more than that fair lady; I will be your guide," he tilted his chin slightly for etiquette.  
  
"I hope you know a swift route, because the journey ahead of us most certainly is not," Darin said impatiently.  
  
"I will take the best course I know," he directed his horse to the head of the group and went into a gallop, "To Gondor!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Raven, we are here," Legolas nudged the she-elf behind him awake as his horse came to a stop.  
  
She yawned cutely, "We made it Minas Tirith already? Awesome!" she cheered  
  
"Um, Raven? Look around," said Arien.  
  
The elf did as instructed and saw nothing but the gloom of Mirkwood, "Goddamn it!"  
  
"It's okay Raven, it's okay," the woman nodded in consolation.  
  
"Armanis, how long did you say it would take us?" Darin asked and jumped off his horse.  
  
"Oh, it took me about a month," he dismounted.  
  
"A month! This is going to be fun," Raven rubbed her backside once her feet touched the ground.  
  
Under normal circumstances, Legolas would have chuckled or at least grinned at her response, but he was not in the mood for sarcasm; the idea of the coming death of one of his best friends was still fresh in his mind, "I shall go search for fire wood while there is still light."  
  
The she-elf started in her chipper voice, "I'll go wi-"  
  
"No," the Prince said in monotone.  
  
"But-"  
  
"No."  
  
"I-"  
  
"NO," he was gone.  
  
Raven looked slightly taken aback, "Tsk, fine," she shook her hips and widened her eyes as she tied Arod's reigns to a low hanging branch.  
  
Armanis blinked, "What a strange woman."  
  
"You haven't the slightest," Darin shook his head, "I wonder why Legolas won't let her accompany him."  
  
Arien looked down at him, "You can't be serious?"  
  
He blinked, "What?"  
  
"Men are so insensitive," she said darkly and went to join Raven.  
  
"What!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas walked aimlessly through the trees, making sure he could easily find the camp, and ignoring all the timber he came across, for it was not his reason for leaving his companions. He had merely used it as a rouse to find solitude; he needed peace to be alone with his thoughts. He could have chosen to take the comfort Raven never ceased to give him, but she had already suffered much because of him and did not need to deal with his misery.  
  
He sighed and rested his back against a tree, "Aragorn, how can you be dying?" he breathed to the setting sun as his mind wandered back sixty years . . .  
  
"Legolas! Oh Legolas? Legola- It's okay guys, I found him!" Raven swatted at a twig in front of her face and sat on her hunches in front of the Prince, "Wake UP you jerk!"  
  
"Huh? What?" the warrior blinked and looked around quickly.  
  
"'Oh I think I'll go look for firewood,'" She mocked and waved her hands over her head, "Thanks for forgetting to mention 'driving my friends half- mad because I decided to take a nap until it got so dark I couldn't see'," she finished in anger.  
  
"I am sorry," he rose to his feet and offered a helping hand to Raven.  
  
"Yea, well, you should be," she rejected his hand and fought to pull herself without grimacing at the pain of the wounds under her bandages.  
  
Legolas took a step back in guilt; though he had protested to her coming, he had secretly wanted her to. She wasn't the only one who needed to be near the ones she loved.  
  
"Don't worry about the firewood. Darin gathered some an hour ago," she turned her back to him and stalked back to camp.  
  
The elf followed closely behind while trying to keep his distance; he had annoyed her when he forbade her to follow him and made her even angrier by making her worry.  
  
The two fought their way through the brush and sat down in the firelight, "Here," Darin tossed the two elves apples, "while they're still fresh."  
  
Legolas caught both of them and held one out to Raven, "My Lady," he said in his most cordial voice and flashed his most charming smile.  
  
She was not amused, "I'm not hungry," she turned on her heel and took a seat next to Arien.  
  
The Prince's smile changed to a smirk; she was cute when she was angry. Come to think of it, she was always cute. He sighed, "I love you," he shook his head while saying so.  
  
She stuck her nose in the air, "Hmph," she crossed her arms and looked away, but one corner of her mouth twitched upward slightly upon hearing his words, as if she were fighting it, but no one noticed . . . except Legolas.  
  
His smile returned.  
  
Armanis raised his brow, "Strange."  
  
Arien and Darin said in unison without looking up from their apples, "Uh huh."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven sighed as she broke the surface of the cool water, "It feels so good to breathe fresh air again, eh Arien? It feels like we spent years on that path in Mirkwood."  
  
Her friend swam up beside her, "Yea, and now we can actually see the sky again."  
  
"It seems like forever since I've gone swimming."  
  
"You have no sense of time, do you?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Arien sighed, "Well, at least the worst of the journey's over now."  
  
"Yea, and Lothlorien is so beautiful. I wonder if Mirkwood ever looked like this, you know, back when it was still Greenwood the Great."  
  
"Could be."  
  
Raven tilted her head thoughtfully, "I wonder if it ever will in the future."  
  
Arien smiled, "Perhaps."  
  
"You know what I miss doing?"  
  
"Arts and crafts."  
  
"No, this!" she yelled evilly as she slapped water into her friend's face.  
  
Arien's eye twitched as she tucked her now wet hair behind her ears and tried her death glare on Raven, but it was no use. She was trying so hard not to laugh her eyes were watering, and no method of intimidation her friend used would dampen her mood, not even that of water.  
  
Her eye still twitching, "Raven," she said softly, "are you alright? You look . . . thirsty," she sprang with lightning speed and dove down on the elf, submerging them both in the crystal waters of the Anduin. After several seconds of confusion, the two resurfaced for air, but continued their war in fits of laughter, unaware of the eyes that watched them. Eyes that had watched them for weeks. Eyes that were waiting. Eyes that would soon be ready . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Just as Arien and Raven finished putting on clothes and fresh bandages, Legolas emerged from the bushes, "Hello ladies."  
  
The green-eyed elf furrowed her brow, "How is it that you always show up at precisely the right time? It's weird."'  
  
He shrugged, "How did I come at 'precisely the right time' just now?"  
  
"Well, had you stepped in a moment earlier, you would have seen Raven and I half-naked-"  
  
"And that just wouldn't work for me," Darin came up from behind Legolas with a smile.  
  
"I DID come here for a reason, you know. The Lady Galadriel will see us now," Legolas motioned to his companions and led the way to the great trees of Lorien.  
  
Raven stared in wonder at the city of the elves, which seemed to glow silver in the moonlight. Ornate archways graced entrances into tree trunks they passed as they ascended the endless stairs into the canopy of gold and silver leaves. Mysterious statues of elves and Valar that were forever immortalized in songs and legends stood at even intervals.  
  
After several minutes of climbing, the four elves passed under a final archway, much more grand than the others, and stood at the base of another stair, "Wait here," An elf in a dark blue imperial-ish robe instructed without looking.  
  
Seconds later, two figures clad in white appeared at the top of the stairs and began their slow trip down. When they entered the full light of the moon, Raven had difficulty from keeping herself from gasping; her gracious description had not been exaggerated. She had not known that one could be both beautiful and terrible at the same time.  
  
"Welcome, friends of old," Celeborn began when they reached the bottom.  
  
"And those of new," Galadriel finished as she scanned the faces of the four elves. Though Arien towered over her, somehow the Lady of the Wood looked down into her eyes. The instant their eyes connected, the woman's face paled but quickly regained its composure with a slight smirk. Next, she turned to Darin. After several seconds, he looked away, fighting blush. When she looked to Legolas, she grinned, "Prince Legolas Greenleaf, long has it been since you and I have met. I know of your business here, and you and your companions may stay here until you are ready to continue your journey. For now . . . " she trailed off and analyzed the young Prince's heart. His eyes watered ever so slightly, but soon after, he smiled and met her blue orbs with a determined air.  
  
At first Raven, had been confused as to what was happening to her friends, but she quickly remembered what had made Galadriel a witch in a fool's mind; her ability to see into your thoughts. Her heart sank at the thought of what secrets the elf might find in her head, and fear surged in her veins.  
  
As if could sense her panic, Galadriel immediately and instantly abandoned Legolas to gaze into Raven's soul. She squinted and tilted her head in concentration as the emerald-eyed elf looked on in terror. Seconds passed, and the ring bearer gasped faintly, "Leave."  
  
The girl did not need telling and was down the first five steps before her friends even reached them.  
  
"Hey Raven, wait up!" Arien cried.  
  
"What troubles you, my Lady?" Celeborn asked.  
  
"There is something strange about the Lady Raven. I could scarcely see into he heart, and what I did see was bits of clouded fragments," she scrunched her brow in confusion.  
  
"What could be responsible?"  
  
"I am not certain."  
  
"Could she be . . . of higher power?"  
  
"No, she has not the years or wisdom."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"We can only watch to find the truth. Until then, we can only guess, but I could tell she means no harm. Somehow though, I sense that harm may come to her . . . but still . . . she is shrouded in the darkness of mystery . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven could not stifle a cry of relief as she collapsed on the bed; it had been ages since she had enjoyed such comforts.  
  
"They say Lorien beds are among the finest," Legolas stated, "Care if I test the rumor?"  
  
The girl smiled pleasantly up at him and rolled over to make room, "Be my guest."  
  
As the Prince sighed in pleasure for lying on such a soft surface, his mind returned to the incident with Lady Galadriel. After a few moments of quiet contentment next to the girl of his interests, he broke the silence, "Raven, what disturbed the Lady so?"  
  
The other blinked, "I haven't the slightest," she lied. She figured it had something to do with the fact she was from a different section of the space- time continuum, but she was not about to tell him that, "What did she say to you?" she subtly changed the topic.  
  
Legolas caught his breath quietly and set his jaw. He turned onto his side and propped himself up on his left elbow to look down into Raven's deep emerald eyes that looked innocently up at him. He loved those eyes and wished the she-elf who bore them would always be willing to flash him their compassionate gaze. With a surprising lack of effort, the warrior slowly slid his hand in his pocket, "She told me," he cut himself off as his fingers wrapped around the object.  
  
"Yes," she urged him on, unconsciously closing the space between her lips and his.  
  
"She told me that I should trust in what my heart says, and," just as the cylindrical entity emerged from his pocket, Arien burst in the room.  
  
"Legolas, get off my spot!" she playfully demanded, "You're staying with Darin and Armanis in the lower part of the tree, remember?"  
  
The Prince, blushing and looking exceedingly perplexed and annoyed, nodded silently as his eye twitched involuntarily. He replaced the contents of his pocket before anyone could see the secret, "Good night ladies," he placed a soft kiss on his love's lips, which parted in speech.  
  
"I love you," they said.  
  
He stopped walking to make eye contact with the girl, "And I love you," he exited with a smile and a nod to Arien.  
  
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything; he looked a little upset when I walked in."  
  
"Nah, you're fine. He was just in the middle of saying something awkward and couldn't figure out how to say it, I guess. The break will do him some good to sort it out, whatever it was," she shrugged slightly and pulled the draperies closed to cut off the light from the outside torches and scrambled back to the warmth of her covers, "G'night," she rolled over.  
  
"You too," came the reply from her affectionate friend.  
  
"What did Galadriel say to you?"  
  
"I thought that when you say 'Goodnight' you signify you were about to fall asleep."  
  
"Shut up and answer the question."  
  
Arien grunted, "Well, if you must know, she told in a nutshell to give Darin some time."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I'm afraid I'm not very good at male psychology so I'd assume she means 'he's a little shy'. Like I needed her to tell me that. I could have used some real advice."  
  
Raven furrowed her brow in confusion; Galadriel had read Arien's thoughts, and she was from another universe. Why then couldn't she read hers? She spent the next several hours tossing and turning trying to make sense of the situation until she finally drifted into a restless slumber.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	13. Troubles and Old Friends

Hello my faithful readers and reviewers, how are you? Hope you enjoy chapter thirteen!  
  
Roain grinned at the broken body below him, "That, sister, is how you utterly obliterate a life," he cackled to Kasseendra, who stood rigid with fear across from the scene in which her brother was present, "You cannot simply ruin the body; you must destroy the soul," he stepped away from the bloody heap.  
  
"Bro- brro- brother? What did you do?" Kasseendra stammered and passed him his black robe.  
  
Roain blinked innocently as he drew the cloth around his naked shoulders, "That?" he nodded to the girl, "I obliterated her," he wiped a crimson streak of blood from the corner of his mouth, "utterly."  
  
"Why?" she trembled.  
  
"It is her innocence; I crave innocence, but once it is spent, I must destroyed her . . . but these women have nothing compared to what Raven has . . . Pity I must ruin her spirit as well."  
  
Kasseendra was too stupid to run, "H- how do you do," she swallowed, "that?"  
  
Roain grinned and narrowed his black eyes as he took a step toward his sister, "Let me show you . . ."  
  
Galadriel pulled her head away from her mirror in disgust as the woman's mortified screams rang through the forest within. Her breaths came in labored gasps as she pieced the puzzle together: her foreboding feelings and the creature's words. Roain, or whatever he was, was going to kill Raven . . . Did that keep her from reading the child's thoughts? No . . . it could not have been a factor. Regardless, the girl was in danger; she needed to tell Legolas.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas leaned his head against the tree trunk behind him and let a sigh escape his lips when Raven threw her peach pit into the trees.  
  
"What are you thinking about, love?" she asked and absently kissed peach juice from her fingers.  
  
He lowered his eyes to meet those of the girl with her head resting on his lap, "It's so peaceful here, but we must leave tomorrow," he raised his eyes to the setting sun, "which, sadly, is not too far off," he stroked her hair unconsciously.  
  
Raven released a long breath, "I will not be happy to see it go, but we must reach Aragorn before," she cut herself off, knowing that she had already said too much from the sudden pain that flashed in Legolas's expressive eyes. She couldn't bring herself to meet them, so she looked away, "I . . . I'm sorry, I-"  
  
Legolas cut her off and made her face him with a finger under her chin, "Please," he brought her to him in a kiss, "don't be," he said, barely separating their lips, "I would not have made it so far without you. I wouldn't have-"  
  
It was Raven's turn to cut him off, "Don't. You scare me when you talk like that. I . . . I need you to be strong . . . incase Roain," she did not need to say 'comes back' because the same thought always plagued the Prince's mind, even though he denied it.  
  
"I told you that I will not let him hurt you," Legolas furrowed his brows as the green eyes of his love watered gently. He pulled her close to him so she sat on his lap.  
  
"Don't make promises you can't keep," the acceptance and fear in her voice as it wavered to his ears almost brought tears to the warrior's orbs.  
  
"What are you saying?" his heart fluttered slightly.  
  
She opened her mouth to say something, but her tears were so close they choked her words. Just as comprehensible sounds reached the surface, Legolas once again smothered them with his lips, "Don't ever let me hear you say that again," he shook her slightly to emphasize the point.  
  
She looked away.  
  
"I love you," he brought his had to her cheek in a loving caress, which she leaned into without hesitation. The Prince swiftly pulled her to him in a tight embrace while delivering her a kiss composed of love, hunger, and an emotion he could not stop himself from enjoying, desire. But this was not the first time he felt its urge.  
  
Just as their kiss became more passionate, Arien hurriedly rushed into the clearing, "There you are Legolas! I been looking everywhere for you!" in her haste, she failed to notice that her friends were still in lip-lock, "Oh, um, I hope I'm not interrupting something," she teased with a smirk.  
  
"Oh shut up. What did you need?" Legolas asked, but a quick grin took the sting from his words.  
  
"To tell you Galadriel wants you. No, I have no idea why."  
  
A look of confusion crossed the green-eyed girl's face as the Prince continued, "Ah, I see. And just where will the Lady have me meet her?"  
  
"By her mirror," she pointed into the trees.  
  
"You mean the fancy shmansy water tub?" Raven asked.  
  
"The one and only. Now beat it before she comes looking for you," she smiled at her friends as they exited into the forest.  
  
"Hello Arien," an elf said softly from the other side of the clearing.  
  
"Oh, hello Darin!" she smiled and closed the gap, "How are you? You slept well I hope?"  
  
"Yes, thank you. I was wondering . . . what did the Lady say to you?" he came so close to Arien he could feel her warm breath on his cheeks.  
  
"Oh, nothing TOO major," she grinned slightly remembering her secret council, "What did she advise you to do?" she looked down into his gray eyes, which flickered strangely.  
  
"This," his lips made contact with hers the instant he released the 's' in an intense kiss. He felt the jolt of surprise shoot down the tall woman's spine and wrapped his arms protectively around her shoulders and waist to steady her when she wobbled slightly. He could almost smell her uncertainty and anxiety. The elf grinned; so she was not as sure of everything as she made herself appear . . . He let his hands roam freely up and down her back and hips, feeling and massaging every curve and bend. He deepened the kiss even more and quickly slipped is hot tongue through his lips and began to push through hers, but she pulled back suddenly.  
  
She was wide eyed with shock and panting as she tried to force sounds from her lips, "Darin, I," she took another step back, "I need to go," she quickly walked, in full blush, toward the tree that contained her room.  
  
The elf exhaled in slight defeat, but all was not lost. She had not had a terribly negative response until he enforce a little more passion. He smirked knowing her fear, but it quickly changed to a smile at the promise of tomorrow . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Legolas and Raven came to the top of the leaf-covered stair, the Prince turned to his love, "Wait here for me."  
  
"Um, okay?" she creased her forehead at the tinge of intuitive worry that coursed through her veins briefly, "Why?"  
  
"Just a feeling. I shall be back soon, melamin," he kissed her cheek softly and descended the stairs, which he took two at a time until he reached the bottom. After several minutes of steady decline, he came to the grassy bottom, "Hello, Milady," he bowed his head with respect.  
  
"Good evening, Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Eyrn Lasgaelen," she said with her smooth voice.  
  
"You called for me?"  
  
She nodded without breaking eye contact, "I saw something in the mirror. Something that may hold more meaning for you. I feel you must see my vision, for it is in regards to your Lady Raven's safety," as she stopped to look at the frightened confusion that manifested on her kinsman's face, "Will you look?" she motioned to the basin.  
  
Legolas did not bother to nod in the affirmative as he stiffly walked up to the glistening waters and peered down mesmerized into their depths. After about ten seconds, he could not stand to watch the flickering images that flashed before his eyes; Roain raping and sucking the very life and innocence from Raven's body and leaving with those lifeless eyes, "NO!" he cried and threw himself from the pedestal. He panted furiously and tried desperately in vain to rid himself of the illustration in his mind although he had already dreamt them all several times over, "Please, tell me there is a way to prevent such a fate for Raven!"  
  
Galadriel's icy stare melted into one with an emotion next to sympathy, "I cannot, but nor can I tell you that is her destiny to lose her soul to that creature."  
  
"There must be a way . . . Please Lady Galadriel, I love her," the anxiety in his voice was overpowering.  
  
"I know. You may go," she dismissed him with a nod of her head.  
  
He hurriedly rushed up the stairs, as if he was frightened to find her dead at the top.  
  
"Legolas?" she called to him.  
  
"Yes?" he looked down to her.  
  
"There is a strange aura about her, which is probably what drew him to her in the first place. Individuals with such an air are meant for great purposes; do not let her die," she placed emphasis on her last phrase.  
  
"I won't," he said more to himself than her, as if to reassure himself and continued up the moss-encrusted stair. When he reached the top, he glanced frantically for his love, "Raven?" he asked urgently.  
  
"Hm?" came the she-elf's response as she emerged from behind a large elm. One look at the Prince's face told her his meeting with Galadriel had been less than pleasant, "What's wrong? What did she say?" she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in an act of caring comfort.  
  
He looked down into her concerned eyes, "I saw," he cut himself off; he could not bear to tell her he saw her death, but what could he do to protect her? He gazed piteously into her innocent orbs . . . That was when the answer came to him. He kissed her gently, "I love you."  
  
"I . . . I love you too."  
  
Legolas was overwhelmed by the trusting stare her eyes delivered him and suppressed his sudden urge to make her his over and over in the sweet ferns that grew just out of hearing range. There had to be another way . . .  
  
"What are you thinking about?" she absently played with one of his loose braids, unaware of just how close she was to being raped.  
  
He thought for a moment, "Just how MUCH I love you," he smiled.  
  
She giggled and nuzzled into his chest, "How much is that?"  
  
"Oh, more than you know," he stoked her fine hair.  
  
"Try me," she teased.  
  
His heart stopped momentarily as he remembered the ring that he always carried with him. His hand went to his pocket, but to his utter frustration, Arien chose this moment to find her friends.  
  
"Raven!" she squeaked with wide eyes.  
  
"Yes?" she asked in slight annoyance of having to be separated from Legolas in order to speak to the newcomer.  
  
"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you people, but I REALLY need to talk to you," she latched her hands around Raven's wrists and pulled.  
  
"About what?" her annoyance was replaced with concern, "What's going on?"  
  
"C'mon," she tugged her friend toward their tree.  
  
Legolas took a step after the two elves when Arien shot back at him, "Sorry Legs, you can't come; this is personal." The Prince looked taken aback and stood dumbly while trying to come up with something to do or say.  
  
"Legolas, I'll find you later, all right?" she called over her shoulder and let the unusually tall woman push her up the stairs to their room. When the door was closed, she jumped right to the point, "Arien, what has you so upset? You're acting completely crazy!"  
  
The other blushed scarlet and wrung her hands, "I thought you could help me, you know, because you and Legolas are well, 'in love'-"  
  
"Help you with what?" she cocked her head to one side.  
  
"Darin kissed me!" she nearly screamed.  
  
The elf's jaw dropped, "You mean to tell me he hasn't even kissed you yet? I knew he was a little shy, but-"  
  
"Well," she interrupted, "he's pecked me on the lips here and there, but he's never really ever actually given me a PASSIONATE kiss."  
  
"And what's wrong with getting one of those? I actually enjoy them. You should try it," Raven was completely confused as to why this was such a dire issue.  
  
"But, I've never been kissed like that before, except with Dartanian, but even then I didn't have this weird feeling at the pit of my stomach like-"  
  
"Have you taken the possibility you could be in love into account?" she raised her eyebrow and shook her head in exasperation.  
  
"No, but what if I am?"  
  
Raven's jaw dropped once more, "Then congratulations!" she yelled, "Trust me, being in love is much more enjoyable than not being in love, I know. There was a time when I wasn't about to give in and it just made me miserable."  
  
"But how do I know?"  
  
"Again, trust me, you'll know."  
  
"But what if I don't want to be?" she put emphasis on the want.  
  
"What do you mean? You're not getting any younger you know."  
  
"Well I'm not getting any older either!"  
  
Raven blinked, "Wow, good point."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Anyway, why wouldn't you?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. It's not that I'm afraid of love. It's more like I'm afraid of-"  
  
"Commitment?" Raven offered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Arien, don't worry. I have a feeling that your relationship won't go fast at all."  
  
"But, but, it just did."  
  
"When?" she furrowed her brow.  
  
"When he kissed me."  
  
"It was just a kiss."  
  
"But he used his hands, too."  
  
"Yes, those can be very pleasant at times."  
  
"But, but it felt weird-"  
  
Raven put her hand to her forehead, "Arien, you're acting like a teenager. You will be fine, I promise. Look at it this way; he brought it up a notch because he really likes you, maybe even loves you."  
  
A smile threatened to come to Arien's face, "Do you think so?"  
  
Raven nodded, "Don't worry. He respects you. He won't rush into anything you don't want to do. Just tell him you want to take things a little slow, and he'll listen."  
  
"Oh thank you Raven, thank you!" she quickly wrapped her arms around Raven's shoulders in a friendly, and certainly unexpected, embrace and raced out of the room.  
  
"Well, that was easy," she thought out loud and let herself fall backwards onto her bed, "Who knew Arien could freak out like that. Poor Darin; he has no idea what he's in for," she chuckled, "I wonder what Legolas would have said to all that." The mention of his name caused a cascade of memories to flood her mind. A smile lit her lips.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas grasped Raven's hand and pulled her onto Arod's back, "Thank you," she smiled cutely and wrapped her arms securely around his waist.  
  
"Are you ready?" the Prince asked his other two elvish companions.  
  
"Just about," Darin answered as he finished loading his mare with provisions. He saw Arien was doing the same and took that to his advantage, "May I help you?" he offered with minor awkwardness.  
  
Arien blushed and did not dare to meet his eyes, "Um, no thank you, I can manage," she almost mumbled and tightened the last strap across her pack.  
  
Raven rolled her eyes at the uncomfortable exchange, 'This is going to be a long ride if those two don't shape it up. Honestly-,' her thought was cut off by Armanis's gasp.  
  
"Thank you for coming to see us off, Milady Galadriel," Legolas bowed his head for the final time.  
  
She smiled kindly, "I felt it was the least I could do. Master Armanis, I am sorry I did not have the chance to meet you. Perhaps one day we will be able to correct the situation.  
  
"Perhaps," the man barely managed to utter but let his eyes fall anywhere but on hers; the idea of elvish witchcraft was very unappealing in his mind.  
  
"Fare thee well," she looked one last time into Raven's green orbs as if to warn her of her danger, but again her thoughts were indecipherable.  
  
"Farewell, Lady Galadriel," came her reply in stereo as four horses departed from Lothlorien.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven could barely keep her eyes open. It was the twentieth day since they had set out from Lorien and the party had endured almost thirteen hours of steady riding, "Legolas, have you taken the horses' well being into account, or have you forgotten they need rest, too?" she asked bluntly.  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid I agree with Raven on this. Shall we call it a day?" Darin was already slowing his horse.  
  
The Prince half smiled, "Alright, I suppose we've been going for long enough," he pulled back on the reigns to bring Arod to a halt.  
  
"Amen to that!" Raven cried happily as she jumped down onto the grass before the stallion had a chance to stop.  
  
"Too bad there are no trees nearby; I guess we will have to do without fire," Armanis said almost gloomily.  
  
"We'll survive," Arien sighed and tethered her mare to one of the many large rock formations around their designated camp.  
  
"I'll get that for you," Darin said gruffly and released Arien's sleeping cot from her horses hide, purposely flexing the muscles in his arms. Though it was impossible to see in the dark, he could tell by her tone of voice as she muttered her thanks she was blushing deeply in her adopted bashfulness. He bit his tongue in the heavy awkward air that consumed them; had his kiss really upset her so much? He gave her a faint smile, which she did not return and went to tend his horse.  
  
"I'm just glad this is the last night we spend sleeping on the ground," began Armanis, who was completely oblivious to the two elves, "tomorrow we reach Minas Tirith!"  
  
After a light supper off dried fruit and lembas, the travelers left consciousness one by one, except for two stragglers who could not comfort in dreams: Legolas and Darin. An hour had passed since Raven, the last of the other three, had fallen asleep when Darin spoke up out of boredom, "Is anyone else awake?"  
  
"Yes," came Legolas's reply.  
  
"I can't sleep."  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"Well neither can you apparently."  
  
Legolas snort-laughed, "What's keeping you awake?"  
  
The other sighed, "It's Arien."  
  
"No, Armanis is snoring."  
  
"It's not that."  
  
"Oh?" the Prince rolled over and rested on his elbow so he could see his friend lying next to him.  
  
Darin swallowed, "You know how you've been telling me that you think Arien would be great for me?" He could make out Legolas's nodding silhouette in the dark, "Well, the day before we left Lorien, I finally made a move, but I don't think she took it as well as I hoped."  
  
Legolas furrowed his brow, "Yes, I have noticed she's been acting a little strangely . . ."  
  
"The thing is, I'm afraid I might have scared her off," Darin admitted with a tinge of regret in his voice.  
  
Legolas nodded grimly, "I don't think you have much to worry about." He continued before his friend had a chance to interrupt, "Arien probably was very shocked when you finally showed her some passion." He chose his next words carefully, "I have noticed that she takes her relationships slowly. It took her a while to warm up to me simply as a friend, and yours is not an exception to the rule."  
  
"But the Lady said-"  
  
Legolas cut him off, "Well let's hope the Lady can be wrong," his exceptionally dark tone made it impossible for Darin to believe that his friends words did not relate to something very personal.  
  
"Friend, what did she say to you?" his question dripped with seriousness.  
  
The Prince swallowed and pain racked his voice, "That Raven will die."  
  
Darin's heart plummeted, "What?"  
  
"I went to her mirror and saw her death, just as it has been in my dreams. Galadriel made me swear to keep her safe with everything I am."  
  
Darin tried to lighten the mood, although the tremble in his voice made it worse, "Well, you already have!"  
  
Legolas continued as if his friend had not spoken, except his words shook with constricted tears, "But when she came to see us off, I saw it in her eyes Darin, she knows I won't keep my word!" the elf wasn't strong enough to hold the tears back, "Roain hunts her."  
  
"But Roain's dead!" he glanced around suspiciously even as he tried to console his friend.  
  
"No he's not. I saw him. He'll come for her!"  
  
"Why? Why does he want her so much?" he shot a nervous glance at Raven, who slept only a few feet from Legolas's side.  
  
"I don't know. Something about innocence and an aura," he shook his head.  
  
Darin swallowed uncomfortably, "Well, you know, innocence can be taken away- "  
  
"I know, and I've tried, but she's practically emotionally insecure when it comes to that; it could kill her," he looked over his shoulder at the source of his pain, his love.  
  
"But it doesn't make any-?"  
  
"Listen!" Legolas shot out his hand to silence his companion.  
  
Darin shut his mouth instantly and a faint desperate muttering reached his leaf-shaped ears. He looked past the Prince's shoulder to Raven's sleeping form. He could barely make out the swift movements of her lips in the moon and starlight, "What is she saying?"  
  
As if on cue, her voice grew just loud enough for one to hear if they strained, "No, run, they are coming . . . Roain is coming . . .please . . . don't do this . . . run . . . can't you hear them?" the sound of her voice grew steadily, "Can you not hear the howls? Legolas!" her chest and back heaved off the ground with her tremendous gasp.  
  
Legolas quickly reached out a tender finger to her cheek, "Raven?" The instant his fingers made contact with her cold, damp, skin, she sat bolt upright. Her mouth was open in a terrified scream, but no sound exited her lips.  
  
The she-elf glanced wildly around until her petrified eyes landed on Legolas and Darin, who stared at her in utter confusion. She sprang from her cot and clung to Legolas as if her life depended on it, "We need to go, now!" she spoke into his chest.  
  
"What? Raven, it was just a dream," Legolas stroked her hair comfortingly  
  
"No," she shook her head and pulled away from his hand, "it was too real, please, you've got to believe me!" she cried against his shoulder, "We can't stay!"  
  
Legolas looked helplessly behind him at Darin, who looked just as perplexed.  
  
"Please," came Raven's sob. As she groped his arms and sides pleadingly, a harsh cackle rang in her ears. She screamed and roused the rest of the camp, "Don't you hear him laughing?"  
  
"Raven, it's just the wind!" Legolas shook her in his arms.  
  
"NO IT'S NOT!"  
  
Armanis sat up," Would someone shut her up? Some of us are trying to get some-" before he could finish his sentence, a huge black mass sprang from the rocks and collapsed on top of him. His angry request was quickly transformed into a cry of mortal panic, which as immediately silenced by the sickening crunch of his skull being crushed in the jaws of the wolf- like creature.  
  
WARGS!" came Darin's yell from behind Legolas, and in an instant both warriors were on their feet rushing to their screaming horses to get their bows and swords. Arien, being an assassin, always slept with a dagger under her pillow and was already in action.  
  
"Raven, get out of here!" Legolas called from the bloody battlefield, but his words were lost in the howls of other wargs answering the distressed call of their fellow and the sudden maniacal laughter that seemed to manifest from the wind. He could recognize that insane cackle anywhere: Roain. The Lady was right.  
  
Raven was oblivious to everything except the steady rhythm of her bow and the movement of wolf-bears as they used fang and claw to tear the living flesh from her companions' bones. This rhythm was the only thing keeping her sanity from escaping her as the maddened cries of the horses, the shrieks of wargs, and the incessant laughter called her away from the fray . . . Aim. Release. Reload. Away from camp . . . Aim. Release. Reload. Away from her friends . . . Aim. Release. Reload. Away from her lover . . . Aim. Release. Reload. To the darkness . . . Aim. Release. Reload. To her death . . . Aim. Release. Reload. To Roain . . . Out of arrows.  
  
Raven felt her heart sink to her toes as she threw down Legolas's spare bow. She looked frantically for something useful when her eyes caught the glint of metal from Arien's bag on the other side of camp. She raced across the field and drove her fingers into the other woman's pack, retrieving a short sword. The she-elf turned to the battle behind her, blade flying.  
  
Arien's training guided her lethal blows down the creature's unprotected neck. It stumbled, mortally wounded, and collapsed on the warrior. She fought desperately to free herself, but the immense weight of her prey pinned her to the ground. She could feel the heavy footfalls of another warg behind her. As its terrible jaws came into view above her head, her heart stopped; she was going to die. Although she had prepared herself for this moment for many millennia, panic flooded her mind, "I'm not ready . . ." she muttered quietly, "I'M NOT READY!" Just as the creature lunged for her neck, Darin came between her and the monster. In her shocked silence, all she could hear was his cry of pain as the beast tore at his flesh. "Darin!" came Legolas's anguished yell from above her as she heard the unmistakable sound of metal cutting muscle. When it stopped, she knew the creature was dead.  
  
Raven raced toward the closest warg, but before she closed the distance, she slipped in mud. She sent her hand down to help herself up and her fingers made contact with the remains of Armanis's head. A scream forced its way from her lips as she realized she was lying in his blood. The girl leapt up from the man's mangled copse just in time to see another warg tear the life from Darin's body. Finally, the last string in Raven's mind snapped as she shrieked wildly in hysteria. She swung violently at anything that growled, led by her ears because of her tear-induced blindness until her hands bleed so much she could not hold her sword.  
  
Legolas panted heavily as he delivered the final blow to the final warg, but he did not lower his blade until it fell dead at his feet. For the first time that night, he looked up to see the whole battlefield. Five massive wargs oozed dark blood in the dirt around him, Armanis was dead, and Arien was deeply shaken but unharmed. Darin was alive, but not in good shape; it was a miracle he still breathed. Both Arien and Armanis's horses had been killed.  
  
"Legolas!" Arien's shrill voice interrupted his mental account of the aftermath of battle.  
  
The Prince was at her side in an instant, but all he could do was watch helplessly as she did as good a job she could, which was not saying much, of dressing Darin's wounds.  
  
Arien smiled faintly up at him, "He's awake."  
  
Sure enough, Darin grinned weakly up at his friend, "Guess I'm the craziest of us all," he tried to laugh, but it came out as a cough.  
  
"Shh," Arien touched a finger gently to his lips as tears lit her eyes in the moonlight.  
  
Even in the dark, the fang marks across his bloody chest and arms were obvious. Legolas looked away; the thought of loosing his best friend was overwhelming.  
  
"Why did you do it?" Arien asked quietly as she softly caressed his cheek.  
  
"Because I had to," Darin swallowed blood.  
  
"Why?" her voice shook.  
  
"Because I ," he closed his eyes and his head rolled back on his shoulders.  
  
"Darin? Darin? Darin!" tears fell freely from her eyes as she screamed hysterically at the elf whom she knew would not answer her.  
  
Legolas walked numbly away from the scene behind him and realized what was missing from his side: Raven. His heart sank as he remembered her words and Roain's laughter. He had been there. Terror flooded his mind when he could not find her, "NO!" he cried out loud as the thought that Roain could have taken her during the fight; losing Raven did not bare thinking about. He raced around the camp and called her name wildly until, to his utter relief, he found her sitting at the base of a particularly odd-shaped rock formation, "Raven!" he cried, but she did not look up. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and bruised his lips in her hair. Overcome with relief of finding her, he planted the most urgent kiss he had ever known on hers, but she did not respond, "Raven?" he pulled his head back to get a good look at the girl in his arms and his heart stopped; she was completely covered in blood. Legolas looked frantically at her body for wounds, but found none save on her hands. He sighed in relief; the blood was not hers. He tilted her head back to look into her emerald eyes, "Raven, why will you not answer me?"  
  
For the first time since the end of the battle, sound was emitted from her lips in the form of a gasp, as if she had just woken from a bad dream, "It's my fault," she sobbed without looking at Legolas, "It's all my fault!"  
  
He looked at her in confusion, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Armanis and Darin are dead because of me!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's me he's after. If I hadn't been here, none of this would have happened. And now, because of me, everyone is in danger. They're dead because of me!"  
  
It hurt Legolas much more than it did her, but he slapped her lightly across her cheek, "Listen to me, it is not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me for not listening to you. You tried to warn Darin and I, but we were too foolish to listen, and Darin is alive. Arien is dressing his wounds as we speak. Let me show you," he picked her up as gently as he could and carefully hid her eyes against his shoulder. The shrill cast to her voice let him know she was on the verge of hysterics and the sight of Armanis's body could set her off. The Prince knew seeing Darin in his condition could have the same affect, but she needed to know he was alive, "How is he?" he asked when he reached Arien's side.  
  
She looked up at him piteously, "He's alive."  
  
"That's well enough for me. See Raven?" he nudged her softly. Her head fell back from his shoulder, her eyes closed in a peaceful slumber. The warrior could not help the smile that formed on his lips.  
  
"Legolas, he'll die if we don't get him to Minas Tirith," she struggled to pick him up. The Prince gently set the girl on the cold ground and took his friend from Arien's arms, weakened from over-exertion. He carefully put the unconscious body on Arod's back and saw the look of confusion flood across Arien's face as she glanced around anxiously for her horse. He felt a pang of sympathy when her eyes found the mare's bloody body. One of the horse's hind legs was missing. Legolas looked away from his friend's agonized expression and lifted Raven's body onto Elra's saddle. "You ride with her," he nodded to the other girl, "I'll take Darin on Arod; he's much faster," he did not add on, 'and we don't have much time.'  
  
Arien swallowed and bobbed her head up and down as she clambered awkwardly behind her friend's sleeping form. The Prince copied her movements and urged his stallion into a gallop.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas strained his vision to keep his sight from blurring as Arod's hooves pounded through Minas Tirith's open gates.  
  
"You, state your name and-" the approaching soldier gasped with wide eyes, "He's an elf!"  
  
The Prince could barely stay mounted on his horse; he had been awake for the past twenty-eight hours but was determined to stay awake until he was certain Darin would be taken care of, "I am Legolas Greenleaf of the Woodland Realm," the sudden murmur that broke out among the watchmen assured him his name was not unknown, "My friend is wounded. Please, he needs help," he let himself slip off the horse, "Hurry."  
  
"What devilry could have caused such wounds?" asked one of the younger guardsmen in frightened awe.  
  
"Wargs," Legolas blinked deeply out of fatigue but forced himself to stand straight.  
  
"Wargs!" one of the soldiers shouted, "there are no wargs left in Gondor!"  
  
The Prince did not have the time or strength for such arguments, "If you don't believe my word, ride twelve hours northeast and there you shall find five wargs slain as your proof."  
  
"Two elves could not handle such foes!"  
  
"Two others who fought in the battle are on their way. We lost another in the fray. He was our guide, Ar-"  
  
"Armis, get this elf to the House of Healing immediately," a stern looking old soldier barked to the guardsman and deliberately cut off the elf's words.  
  
"Yes Uncle," the boy, Armis, awkwardly took the unconscious elf from the warrior's almost reluctant arms and rushed off down a cobblestone street.  
  
When the boy was safely out of earshot the older man turned to Legolas, "Tell me, was the name of your guide, the one you lost in battle, was Armanis his name?"  
  
The Prince nodded, "You knew him?"  
  
His face paled, "He was my brother," he said in slight shock, "I stopped you for the boy's sake . . . he loved his father very much . . ." the soldier's movements and words were numb, "Escort him to a room by the healing quarters and take his horse to the stables. Thalian, take half a dozen others to burn the wargs."  
  
After a little over fifteen minutes walking, Legolas threw his bloody cloak in a heap on the floor and collapsed on his bed. He was asleep before he could touch his head to the pillow.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven's eyelashes fluttered as they acknowledged the sunlight filtering into her emerald orbs. Moaning softly, she lifted her hand to her forehead and was startled by the feeling of a cloth other than that of her gloves. She quickly shifted her sight to her palms, remembering the battle and blistered hands when she saw the bandages. It was also at that precise moment that she realized she could not recall anyone putting them on, nor did she remember ever sleeping in a bed . . . The elf instantly sat up and looked about her strange surroundings, and to her surprise discovered Legolas sleeping soundly in an armchair beside her. She smiled at his childlike expression, "Well, now I know where I am," she thought out loud and reluctantly pulled herself from the warm comforts of her bed sheets. She glanced about the room curiously in search of her belongings and found them next to Arien's pack, "Wonder where she ran off to."  
  
Raven dug through her bag in search of clean clothing and after a quick change, Legolas stirred, "Raven, you're awake!"  
  
"So are you."  
  
He grinned, "You've been a guest here at the House of Healing for the past six hours and have slept through each of them. I arrived nearly a day ago, but I've been by your side almost since you arrived," he strode over to her and delivered his warm embrace.  
  
"Where's Arien?" she asked, leaning her head against his shoulder.  
  
The Prince paused for a moment, "She's with Darin. Come, I shall take you to them," he said somewhat grimly and took her under his arm as a show of affection.  
  
The two exited the room and walked quickly down the corridor to one of the rooms off the central courtyard and knocked softly, "Arien, are you awake?"  
  
The woman on the other side opened the door, "Darin isn't," she said while mopping his face with a damp cloth.  
  
Legolas felt the Raven's muscles tense when she saw the wounded elf, and he was sure he had the same reaction to seeing his friend in bandages, "What do the healers say?" he swallowed  
  
"They'll try to save his arm, but if," she paused and altered her words mid- sentence, "when he recovers he'll have some serious scars to look forward to," she put the cloth on the bedside table and stoked Darin's forelock.  
  
Raven quickly took her handkerchief, saturated it in the herb water, gently sat down on the elf's bed and dabbed his forehead where Arien had off, "Legolas, would you go get something to eat? I have a feeling our lady friend here hasn't touched any food today. Don't worry, we'll take care of Darin."  
  
The Prince walked as fast as he could out of the room; he could not stand seeing his friend so crippled. He needed to clear his head. The elf wandered aimlessly about and soon forgot all about food in his remembrance of Minas Tirith. Aragorn had truly done a superb job of restoring the great city of Men; no longer where there cracks on street, and greenery graced every corner.  
  
He was so preoccupied with noting the changes, he failed to here a surprised gruff voice shout his name, "Legolas!"  
  
The elf kept walking.  
  
"Legolas!" it yelled again.  
  
The Prince stopped to admire a particularly handsome tree.  
  
"LEGOLAS!" the voice called for the last time and its barer raced up to the elf to deliver a death grip hug around his midsection.  
  
This managed to get his attention, "What!" cried the elf, who tried in vain to jump away. He looked down to see his attacker. His jaw dropped open, "Gimli!" he laughed and returned his hug with vigor, "Why are you here?" he asked without thinking.  
  
The dwarf took a step back and said grimly, "Same reason as you."  
  
Memory flooded the Prince's face, "Sorry old friend. It's just, quite a lot has happened recently. Come, I've got some people I'd like you to meet."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two walked to Darin's room and were surprised to find it locked. Slightly worried, the elf led the group to Raven' s room. He knocked on the door. His leaf-shaped ears picked up a faint 'come in' and walked through, "Everyone, I found a friend."  
  
"My Legolas, you've brought a whole flock of pointy-ears!" Gimli laughed heartily.  
  
"Huh?" Raven turned around.  
  
Gimli's eyes widened as he got down on one knee, "Gimli the Dwarf at your service, milady," he got on one knee.  
  
The she-elf blushed scarlet, "Um, thanks. The name's Raven, and this is Arien," she nodded to the elf next to her, who turned around as well.  
  
"Aye Legolas, you were right. Her beauty DOES rival that of Lady Galadriel's," he grinned at the woman's embarrassed expression.  
  
"Sorry we left. The healers told us to go back to our room," the tall woman smiled apologetically at the Prince.  
  
"I see a lot's happened to you over the years, Legolas."  
  
"Yes, we've quite got much to catch up on."  
  
"Mmm, ketchup," said Arien smiled widely as she recalled her earthly condiments, "I used to put it on toast," she motioned with her hands to symbolize squeezing a bottle.  
  
"I put it on eggs!" chirped Raven.  
  
"Yea, I heard people put it on eggs. I never did though; I put syrup on my eggs."  
  
"Ew, that's disgusting!"  
  
"I put ketchup on chocolate chips and marshmallows," she listed with her fingers.  
  
The other she-elf sighed, "I miss ketchup."  
  
"Yea, me too."  
  
"You know what's weird? I hate tomatoes, but I love ketchup."  
  
"Bizarre."  
  
"How did we get on this conversation?" Raven blinked.  
  
"Hm," she thought for a moment, "Prince-boy said something about catching- up, and we screwed up the spelling."  
  
Raven turned to the elf and the dwarf, who stared back with blank looks, "You!" she cried with mock anger, "It's your fault! You shall pay!" she ran in slow motion toward the elf.  
  
"Ou, whatcha gonna do to 'im?" Arien teased.  
  
"I'm going to KISS him!" she hissed and jumped onto the warrior, knocking him into a chair. She instantly wrapped her arms and legs around him, "You're mine!" she swiftly planted a playful yet powerful kiss on his lips, to which he did not object.  
  
Within seconds, everyone in the room was in fits of laughter at Raven's unexpected antics, but their mirth was quickly silenced when a sharp knocking reverberated about the room. Legolas would have been the first to the door, but he had a she-elf clinging to his chest. He nodded at Arien to get answer. She opened it a crack, "May I help you?" she asked as coolly as she could.  
  
Though the rest of the group could not see or hear the man, they could feel the tension in his words. Arien ducked back in the room, "The King will see us now," she said gently.  
  
Raven swallowed in her unease brought on by the heavy sorrow and anxiety that hung in the air as they walked down Minas Tirith's gray streets to the King's chamber. Everyone, even the townspeople, seemed solemn. After several minutes of walking, the group reached a grand white tower carved out of the very living rock of the cliff and mountain. She reached out and laced her fingers with Legolas's to offer what little comfort she could, knowing he was marching to bare witness to his friend's death, but did not know that her little hand gave the Prince more strength than either of their bodies possessed. They passed down a long corridor lit with torches and came to an enormous wooden door.  
  
The guard waited a few moments before opening the massive gate. When they were finally permitted to enter, Raven's breath caught in her chest, but it was not the King that made her gasp. The look of Lady Arwen's misery froze her blood and made her forget how to breathe. She felt as if her heart had been stabbed by an icy dagger when Arwen looked up from her dieing husband's side and looked into her eyes, "My love," she looked back to the King, "your friends have come," she said while caressing his cheek.  
  
Everyone nodded with sympathy and respect to the rulers. The elf and the dwarf walked over to their fallen comrade's side, "Hello again Aragorn," Legolas smiled with tears threatening to fall, but he was not ashamed of his showing emotions, for even Gimli's eyes were red.  
  
The dieing king looked up at his friends, "It has been a long time, friends of old. I am glad you came to see me off to the final adventure," he almost laughed. "I see you finally have found yourself a bride," this time he did laugh as Raven's eyes and mouth grew wide with shock. Still laughing, he continued, "I'm sure Thranduil will be pleased," with a groan, his head fell back on his pillow.  
  
Arwen pushed Arien less than kindly out of her way, "Estel?"  
  
"Bring me my son," he did not open his eyes.  
  
The Elvish queen of Men nodded, but a boy's voice spoke up before she could sent her summon, "I am here father!" he rushed to Aragorn.  
  
"Eldarion," he smiled softly at the soon-to-be King of Men, who could only have been a mere fourteen years old, "I wish to be alone with you and your mother."  
  
The three elves and the dwarf did not need telling twice and were in the outside hall in seconds. Knowing that he and Gimli were in pain, Raven wrapped her comforting arms around Legolas and his friend and waited. After a few silent minutes, her heart stopped as Arwen's hysteric cries reached her leaf-shaped ears, "Estel! Estel!" Aragorn was gone.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	14. Finally!

Raven looked away from the King's elaborate burial ceremony to hide her tears from Legolas, who did not need her sorrow to deal with as well. But it was not the loss of the King that made her eyes water. She leaned her head against her love's shoulder and looked back to just in time to see Aragorn's body lowered into the grave. She caught a glimpse of the dead king's expression and almost caused her to smile; it was so serene and splendorous. But any traces of her grin vanished as Arwen's anguished cry escaped her lips, "Estel, no my Estel!" she fell to her knees and wept bitterly in the dirt.  
  
Raven closed her eyes and tried to block out the she-elf's weeping, but her pitiful moans could not be ignored. She could take it no longer; this was too miserable. The girl pulled away from Legolas's arms, slipped past the vast circle of mourners, and walked briskly headed for Darin's quarters.  
  
Nearly fifteen minutes passed when a chilled wind brushed against her. She stopped for a fleeting second and listened to the breeze; had it just whispered her name? No, that was foolish. All these negative emotions were getting to her head. In the flickering torchlight, the House of Healing raced up to greet her. She walked quickly across the courtyard and knocked sharply on the door.  
  
Her summon was not answered from within but from behind her, "You best not disturb them milady, they are working very desperately in there," an old woman said sympathetically.  
  
Raven withdrew her fist as if the door had burned her hand, "Do you know if he will be alright?" she did not need to mention Darin's name.  
  
"It is uncertain, milady," she paused for a moment when she saw the elf's muscles tense, "They are trying to save what they can of his arm."  
  
Raven felt as if she could vomit right then and there. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat, nodded curtly to the woman, and rushed out of the courtyard to the dark meadow by the surrounding forest. Grief-stricken tears ran down her cheeks. As if triggered by the presence of her solitude, the wind once again played a voice in her mind.  
  
She stood from her crouching position and glanced about her surroundings when Legolas's voice shouted her name, "Raven!" she strained her eyes to see him, but before they could focus, strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, "I looked everywhere for you. Why did you leave?" she could tell by his voice he was on the verge of tears.  
  
"I couldn't stand all the depression! And Arwen's cries-"  
  
Legolas's lips cut her off, "It's alright, melamin," he stroked her soft hair.  
  
She continued as if his attentions had never been, "I went to Darin because I didn't know where else to go," she sob-hiccupped, "Oh Legolas, they don't know if he'll live!" Raven cried freely and buried her head in his chest.  
  
Her words hit the Prince like a sack of bricks. Though he knew his friend's condition, he had not quite accepted the possibility of loosing Darin until now.  
  
"And it's all my fault."  
  
He felt her grow limp, "Raven?" he looked down to see her face, but the darkness and his shirt hid her features from him. A slight breeze blew from the trees and lifted Raven's waist-length hair up in waves, giving her an ethereal look. She pulled away from him with sorrowful eyes. The wind grew steadily stronger as it lifted dried leaves and swirled them around her. The Prince reached out for her in confusion, but a strong gust hit him full in the face, almost as if great wings had clapped the air at him. Raven took another step back and then he heard it: a sort of whispering coming from the wind and trees . . .  
  
"-and I deserve to die," she was almost to the forest's edge.  
  
"WHAT?" Legolas shouted over the now howling winds, "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?" he demanded, "RAVEN!" his voice was lost in the tumult of air. He ran toward her, but the wind pushed against him, as if it were fighting the Prince, "DON'T GO IN THERE!" he cried desperately and forced himself through the gale and caught her around the waist. The instant he made contact with the girl, the ferocious wind stopped, but the strange whispers lasted a moment longer. He looked down at her tear-stained face; had it been calling her? He swallowed and held her tightly, "What were you saying?"  
  
"It's all my fault," she buried her face in his chest and felt the growing wetness around her eye area on his tunic.  
  
"You don't know what you're saying!"  
  
"I must get away! I don't deserve the air I breathe for putting you in danger," she tried in vain to push him away.  
  
"Be quiet you little fool," he shook her while masking his terror with anger, "Why can you not understand that I could care less if I were in danger? I swore to protect you WITH MY LIFE!" he enunciated the last three words. He could tell she was frightened of him, but he refused to let her go. He placed his fingers under Raven's chin and forced her to look at him, and to her surprise, his eyes were desperate instead of angry, "I love you," he looked at her for a moment longer before placing a crushing kiss on her moist-from-crying-lips. He could almost taste her insecurity and uncertainty, "Don't you know that?" he licked one of her tears from the corner of his mouth and forced himself to ignore his sudden yet expected lust.  
  
"Oh Legolas," she sobbed and gave into his grip; she was too exhausted- mentally and physically- to fight him any longer.  
  
"Yes?" his voice was heartier than usual.  
  
"I . . . Oh, I jus-" she trailed off.  
  
"What is it melamin?" he squeezed her shoulders and was aware of his breath breaking on her cheeks.  
  
"Hold me," she smiled softly when she felt strong arms draw around her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Arien leaned as comfortably as she could against the trunk of the shade tree. She had been shifting positions for the past three hours while waiting for Lady Arwen to either stop crying or die of dehydration. Although she had waited in silence for days for the elf's sake, Arien finally could not take the incessant mourning any longer. She stepped from the tree, "Lady Arwen?"  
  
The other barely looked up from her husband's grave.  
  
The exceedingly tall woman approached the Queen clad in black, "You need not mourn the King's death any longer."  
  
Arwen gave her a look of confusion, "What?"  
  
"You seem to have poor insight on the concept of mortality."  
  
The widow furrowed her brow, "I do not understand."  
  
"Exactly. You see, Men are LUCKY because they get to die."  
  
"What do you mean?" her eyes were red and puffy.  
  
"Men are not bound to the world forever. They get to move on in peace rather than holding on for eternity as elves do. Do you not see their gift?" Arien's words grew more confident. "Elves don't appreciate or understand the concept that dying is a gift, but you Arwen, must. Do you not see? You get to move on! It is a blessing, not a curse. Aragorn lived a long, fulfilling life, and it was his time to rest."  
  
Arien continued her speech for several minutes, but Arwen took little comfort. When the other finally took a moment to catch her breath, she jumped on the opportunity, "Arien, call for my children; I shall take leave for Lothlorien immediately," with that, she got to her feet and left the woman without another word.  
  
Arien snorted haughtily as she headed for the tower; it was useless to talk about the positive side of death with elves- even doomed ones, "Stupid ignorant little elves; they don't even understand Ilá»©vatar's gift to man," she made a scoffing noise, "Well you better get used to it and stop crying over Aragorn, 'cause you'll be joining him soon." She chuckled for a moment and continued in mid-laugh, "Oh I have no pity."  
  
After a few minutes of walking at a brisk pace, she spotted one of the imperial guards, "You there! Go and bring Queen Arwen her children!" she turned quickly and headed in the opposite direction before he could come up with an excuse to avoid this duty; Arwen's misery was so heavy; it was practically contagious, and Arien had not had the chance to see Darin since the night before. When the House of Healing came in sight, she broke into a run and pushed the door open. She smiled hastily at Raven, who was busily applying an herb remedy to his healing chest wounds, "How is he?" she asked with concern.  
  
"Better than yesterday, I'll give him that."  
  
"Can they save his arm?"  
  
"Yes, but he might not be able to fire a bow ever again," the green-clad elf picked up Darin's mutilated arm, "See the stitches? They're not sure if they saved enough muscle in his fingers . . . The warg-" she swallowed and changed the subject, "He was awake this morning! Sorry you missed it. He asked for you, but you couldn't be found. Where were you?" she inquired with a smile.  
  
Any sickened shock Arien had felt when she learned of Darin's disability and was replaced with anger at Arwen, "I was TRYING to make Arwen feel better, but everything I said went in one ear and out the other. I am so officially pissed!"  
  
"Chill, it's not like he died or anything. He'll wake up soon enough. Until then, try not to have any spaz attacks," she saw fresh anger brew in her friend's eyes, "that's MY job," she grinned.  
  
Arien could not help but laugh quietly and a smirk. She glanced down at Darin and gave a mental sigh of relief; he was going to pull through, "Anyway, tell me about Legolas. Is he handling this alright?" she furrowed her brow.  
  
Raven bit her lip, "Well, he," she paused for a moment and looked down, "Seeing Darin awake helped him quite a lot, I think, but losing Aragorn . . ." she griped her elbows, "He acts fine, but I can tell he's upset. Really upset." Arien could have sworn she saw a drop of blood form on her friend's lower lip before her friend continued, "and I don't think I'm helping much. All I seem to do is make him worry. You know, about-" she stopped, not wanting to mention the forces that hunted her, "I'm so afraid that I'm only causing him more pain!" she sat down hurriedly in a chair and put her hand on her forehead.  
  
The dark-haired elf frowned slightly, "You can't honestly believe that."  
  
"Oh yes I can."  
  
"Then you've gone completely mental. He LOVES you. He doesn't care if Roain tries to kill him to get at you. It's not your fault. You had virtually no way to stop or prevent it, so stop beating yourself up over it. Legolas has been around danger all his life; he's used to it, and you better be getting used to it, too. I mean, there's no way around it until someone finally kills the bastard [meaning Raven's pursuer] unless of course if you give yourself up or something," she made the last comment nonchalantly and had meant nothing by it, but the sudden wideness of revelation in Raven's eyes quickly made her wish she could take it back, "Don't even think about it."  
  
"What?" she put her most oblivious face.  
  
"You know what. Don't be stupid, or I'll have to get Legolas to tie you down," she smirked.  
  
Raven smiled politely at the meant-to-be-humorous phrase, but Arien's words, though she may not have meant them to, coincided with her suppressed logic, "Don't worry. I'll leave you alone with Darin; I just want to catch some Z's."  
  
Arien looked down in confusion, "Catch some wha-" she cut herself off, "Oh! You mean get some sleep!"  
  
"Exactly. Good night," she left the room with a smile and slowly walked across the courtyard to her room. When she opened the door, she was not surprised to find Legolas waiting for her, "Hello my good Prince, what can I do for you?" she beamed and stepped behind her changing curtain.  
  
"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see you," when he saw her hang her light- material dress over the curtain, he felt his ears turn pink, "Oh, I'm sorry Raven, shall wait outside?"  
  
She smirked; she could from the sound of his voice he wished he was on the other side of the curtain with her, "No, it's alright," she emerged wearing a green satin slip. She blinked at the gaping expressions plastered on her love's face, "What is it?" Is my tag showing?" she asked and looked around the small piece of fabric- forgetting they did not HAVE tags in Middle- Earth.  
  
"You are so beautiful . . ."  
  
She shrugged and placed a hand over the concealed scar above her left breast, "Others would agree with you."  
  
Legolas swallowed tightly and rage flashed in his eyes, "I should have killed him when I had the chance," he growled through gritted teeth.  
  
Raven said nothing as she walked passed him and slid into her bed, "There are so many things we wish we could change," she said with a sigh.  
  
"Yes," he sat down next to his love and stroked her left shoulder with his forefinger.  
  
She smiled pleasantly up at him and raised her hand up to caress his cheek, but it never reached its destination.  
  
With lightning fast reflexes, Legolas shot out his hand and caught Raven's wrist inches from his face. His complexion was frighteningly pale and his eyes were the most stern they had ever been as he gripped he end of her glove between his thumb and forefinger.  
  
"Legolas? What are you doing?" she asked fearfully and tried to pull her arm away, but it was no use; he was already pushing the fabric from her forearm.  
  
A solitary silvery scar ran from the inside of her elbow down to her wrist, and as he removed the other glove, its twin appeared. Legolas's words shook, "Raven, why did you not tell me?" he traced the lines with his fingers.  
  
"Because I wanted to forget," she turned her head so could not see her arms.  
  
"Who did this to you? I'll kill them," his voice trembled in anger.  
  
"Too late. My mother's already dead."  
  
"Your MOTHER?" he yelled and gazed into her eyes in utter confusion, "Why?"  
  
Raven shrugged, "She always beat me. Sometimes she used a belt, other times she used a cane, but her favorite was empty bottles," she listed them off with her fingers, "I never told anyone; I thought it was my fault. She said there was something wrong, something horrible different about me, and because of that, I deserved every ounce of pain she caused me. She said no one loved me; no one could love me, everyone but Jason. She didn't know that though, but Jason couldn't tell anyone because he was too afraid of what she would do to him," she paused for a moment and refused to let him see any of her tears fall, "One night, she finally lost control. She came after me with a knife and sliced my arms. Jason finally sucked up the courage to protect me, but all it got him was a dagger in his throat," she closed her lashes to subdue her watering eyes, "I can still hear the coughing sound he made as he choked on his own blood." She stopped again for the same reason, "The next thing I remember was waking up at the hospital and the doctors telling me how lucky I was to be alive over and over. When I asked about my mom, they told me she was dead. The stupid woman had committed suicide. I got sent off to an orphan home and never looked back."  
  
The Prince could barely believe her story; how could a mother possibly hate her child? He wanted to tell her how compassionately sorrowful he felt for her, how much he needed to see her smile again, how deeply he loved her, but since he had no words, he showed her with a lover's kiss. It was not urgent, but chaste and tender. He held on for a few moments before asking, "How old were you when," he nodded to her arms.  
  
"Ten."  
  
Legolas blinked, "Ten as in ten hundred, right?"  
  
"No, just ten. One. Zero."  
  
"But these scars are just a few years old! You could not have been just ten! That would make you-"  
  
Raven swallowed, "Eighteen."  
  
His mouth hung open and he took a few steps back, "EIGHTEEN! YOU'RE ONLY A CHILD! A MERE BABE BY ELFISH STANDARDS! RAVEN I-"  
  
"Do I look like a child?" she demanded and pulled herself out of bed.  
  
He gave her a helpless look, "No, but- Oh why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I didn't think it mattered! It's a stupid thing to get so upset about!"  
  
"But, it would be utterly immoral for me to take advantage of you like this!"  
  
"You're not TAKING ADVANTAGE of me! I wouldn't LET you!"  
  
"But I'm 2931 years old! That's," he squeezed his eyes shut for a second and wrung his hand, "almost 163 times your age!"  
  
"Yea, well, I like older guys," she shrugged and smiled prettily.  
  
Legolas starred at her, dumbfounded, but she looked so cute; he could not help but to crack a smile, "That's not the point."  
  
"Then what is the point? I love you. That's the only point you need."  
  
"But you don't know anything about my past," he reached out to touch her but pulled back.  
  
"How many times have I told you I don't care about the past?" she asked in exasperation.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just shut it. Tell me exactly how you feel about me," she demanded crossly.  
  
"I, I love you," he admitted.  
  
"Then it doesn't matter. That's all I care about. Besides, you couldn't tell how old I was anyway," she smirked.  
  
"Well, I could tell you were younger than me but-" he saw the annoyed look she cast him, "Alright, fine. No, I couldn't."  
  
She grinned, "So there you have it. Problem solved. Can you ignore chivalry just this once?" she flashed him with her green eyes pleadingly.  
  
He sighed and realized that he would be a fool to let her go, "Of course," he said in defeat, "I love you too much not to."  
  
"I know," she walked up to him and kissed his cheek playfully. The touch of her lips on his skin tickled so much he could not suppress a quiet laugh before he moved in for a much more intense kiss, which she blocked with her hand, "But of course, seeing as how I'm just a child, I won't let you touch me for at least another hundred years." She burst out laughing at the mortified expression on Legolas's face, "I knew you wouldn't like that one!" she said, still laughing.  
  
"Oh you!" Legolas cried in relief and tackled her playfully onto the bed and planted his lips hungrily on hers, the only place they ever truly fit. When her giggles were finally silenced under the kiss, a new idea grew in the elf's mind as he slipped his hand between the sheets and her satin nightgown, "Take this!" he began ruthlessly tickling her with his clever fingers.  
  
"Legolas," she panted between fits of laughter, "stop it . . . I . . .can't breathe!" tears from giggles streamed down her flushed cheeks.  
  
The Prince laughed charmingly, "Afraid not, melamin," he grinned as he kissed her tears teasingly. Besides, he took pleasure in the way she arched her back beneath him. He looked down into her face and smiled; she looked so . . . happy. After a few more seconds, he decided to release the she- elf and stopped her torture.  
  
Legolas gave Raven a mischievous grin and she gave him a suspicious look, "What?" she raised an eyebrow.  
  
"This!" he held his expression and slammed down another passionate kiss, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She ran her fingers through his golden locks, and shifted positions to put her arm around his back but instead accidentally rolled herself and Legolas off the bed and onto the rug.  
  
"Sorry!" Raven said though giggles.  
  
Legolas, who landed on the bottom, groaned, "Oh, t'was nothing my love," he trailed kissed from her collar bone, up her flawless neck, passed her pointed ear, shifted his body to get a better angle, finished his attentions just below her hairline at the back of her neck and inadvertently received a sharp intake of breath from Raven. He furrowed his brow in confusion, but a knowing grin quickly replaced his perplexed expression. He placed a deeper kiss on the same spot; Raven's response was instantaneous. She gasped in intense pleasure and involuntarily stretched every muscle and arched every joint in her body. He nipped her flesh lightly, sending a paroxysm of bliss down her spine.  
  
She melted in Legolas's arms, "What did you do?" she panted with her eyes closed.  
  
The elf pulled away from her neck, "Everyone has a place on his or her body that, when attended correctly," Legolas rolled over so she was beneath him once again, "can cause a most enjoyable sensation, and it seems I have found yours," he grinned.  
  
"Where did you learn that?" she asked, finally starting to catch her breath.  
  
Once again, all color faded from Legolas's face and he got the look of a child who had just broken his grandmother's antique vase, "Her name was Ellariana."  
  
Raven nodded slowly, "Who's she?" she asked, trying to sound natural.  
  
Legolas swallowed uncomfortably and sat up, "She was . . . my lover."  
  
The she-elf gave a long blink, "Care to elaborate?"  
  
"It was a long time ago . . . almost two thousand years to be exact. Ellariana was," he paused, "the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. We were acquaintances and young, and I was especially foolish. One oddly warm night, when the stars were indescribably brilliant-" he inhaled, "She . . . taught me a few things." He shifted his position out of unease.  
  
"Namely?" she sat up next to him.  
  
Legolas swallowed again, "Things like I just showed you . . . and a lot more . . . I should go-"  
  
"No," Raven caught his arm, "Don't go . . . I don't want you to."  
  
"You're not disgusted with me?"  
  
"No, I told you; the past is the past. I could care less about what you and Ella-whatever-her-name-is did. All I care about is you!" she placed her arms around his neck.  
  
Legolas gazed down into her untainted green oceans, "You really are in love with me . . ."  
  
"Yes!" she said desperately.  
  
"You make me happy, too," he said more to himself.  
  
"And you make ME happy!"  
  
"-and I want to be with you," he delved around in his pocket with success, "forever," he opened his palm, "Will you be my wife?" he clasped her hand.  
  
Raven's mouth gaped at the elegant mithril band; Legolas was proposing, "You have my heart," she said and smiled softly.  
  
"You've always had mine," his heart skipped several beats.  
  
The she-elf was not sure whether to laugh or cry as he slipped the perfect- fitting ring onto her finger, so she did both. She smiled widely as he grinned lovingly down into her orbs and pulled her to him in a fiery kiss. The Prince smoothly scooped her into his arms and twirled about the room- oblivious to the fact that Arien was standing in the doorway, "I love you Raven," said Legolas, "I love you so much!" he was about to press his lips to hers once more, but a quiet 'hthm' caught his attention.  
  
"Um, am I interrupting something?" Arien asked with hints of blush on her cheeks.  
  
"Shall we tell her yet?" asked the Prince with a smile. When she nodded quickly afterward he continued, "Raven and I are going to be married!" he announced with pride.  
  
"Oh Arien, isn't it wonderful?" she held out her hand so her friend could see the ring.  
  
"You're what?" she blinked.  
  
"Getting married," Raven raised her brow slightly.  
  
"Oh right! Congratulations! I knew you had it in you Legolas!" she cried.  
  
The Prince barely hid a smirk; he'd tried to do this nearly half a dozen times before, but a certain woman kept popping up at the most inopportune moments.  
  
"I better have something important to do!" Arien mock demanded with a laugh.  
  
"You know it!" said Raven.  
  
"Any idea when?" asked the woman.  
  
"Legolas?" she looked up at her fiancé.  
  
"Whenever you want, melamin," a smile grew on his bow shaped lips, "I wouldn't care if it were in the dead of winter in a blizzard," he crushed his lips against hers.  
  
"Oh Legolas!" she nuzzled into his chest.  
  
"Uh, guys? I don't mean to be rude, but are you going to be done in a few minutes, or should I go get another room?"  
  
The two elves blushed, " It's alright Arien, I'll leave," he smiled down at Raven and delivered her one last embrace and kiss before exiting.  
  
When the door closed, the she-elf couldn't help a sorrowful sigh; she had to wait until morning to see him again. She scurried under her sheets and sighed, "Oh, how I love him," with a pleasant grin.  
  
Arien smirked and mirrored her friend's actions, "I'll say."  
  
"Amen," Raven closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with blissful thoughts on her mind."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The wedding was a beautiful yet simple ceremony, and at some point during the reception, Legolas and Raven slipped away from the crowed area and rushed silently into the forest. The Prince knew of a quiet area where ferns grew thick and sweet . . . where he could be alone with his new bride. When the two elves reached the tree-less glade, they shared an urgently passionate kiss before the warrior lowered his love into the undergrowth. The newlyweds cuddled and teased playfully for what seemed hours on end, but they soon found themselves starring into each others' eyes, "Raven?" Legolas broke the silence with a question he did not need to ask.  
  
"I can't stay the virgin queen forever," she grinned.  
  
The Prince did not need her to set up smoke signals to help interpret her phrase and was already hurriedly undoing the clasps of his tunic, hungrily watching her patiently playing with one of her braids.  
  
When he dropped next to her on the ground, she partially closed her eyes, "Take me, my love," her voice dropped to a seductive purr.  
  
"My pleasure," he grinned and placed a sensuous kiss on her lips and after a few brief seconds, he slipped his hot tongue through the gap and into her saccharine mouth.  
  
Raven did not object to the intrusion, in fact, she quite welcomed it. Although, she was confused as to why his hands stopped running up and down her back, and what the salty taste on her tongue was. She opened her eyes, only to discover Legolas's were closed. Terror pulsed in her veins; it was his blood she tasted. She pulled away from her lover and saw the knife in his back. It had gone through his ribcage and pierced his heart, killing him instantly. Raven shrieked in anguished despair as she wrapped her arms around her husband's dead body, "LEGOLAS! Oh God please no!" she cried hysterically.  
  
"Oh God yes," came a voice from the darkness.  
  
"ROAIN!" she screamed and leapt up from the ground, wiping tears from her eyes. She broke into a run, but something sharp pierced her neck. Down, down she fell and landed in a warm puddle of her own blood. She looked up and saw a rush of wings out of the corner of her eye and then . . . darkness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Raven's mouth was open in a horror-struck scream, but no sound left her lips. After several seconds more of terror, she recognized her room in the House of Healing; it had been only a dream, but what a real dream it was. It was then that she realized that she had to leave, for if she stayed-. She shuddered and stopped her train of thought. She smiled softly in defeat as she pulled herself from her bed and stood on her temporarily weakened legs. As the elf stepped out the door into the night sky, she glanced back over her shoulder at Arien, who still slept, "Take care of Darin, okay?"  
  
The girl crossed the courtyard toward the forest beyond, but her eyes caught a glint of metal coming from the doorknob of Legolas's chamber . . . Legolas . . . she looked at the ring on her finger. She could not leave without saying goodbye.  
  
Raven pushed the unlocked door open and crossed the room to her love's side. She smiled at his sleeping form; he looked so handsome and peaceful in his slumber. His lips were slightly parted and tempted her cruelly as she leaned over him.  
  
Legolas woke to Raven's arousing kiss, "Is it morning already, melamin?" he asked and drew his fiancé down beside him. He looked up into her eyes, which disturbed him greatly; she looked absolutely miserable, "What's wrong?" he demanded, immediately alert. A terrible thought crossed his mind, "It's not about our engagement . . . is it?" he asked fearfully.  
  
Raven shook her head with a graceful smile, "Shh," she soothed and caressed his bare chest, "No, of course not."  
  
Legolas sighed with relief, "Then what is troubling you?" When she did not respond he pressed, "Raven?"  
  
Her sobs grew slightly louder and the warrior could feel her trembling against his side. He looked down into her eyes and stroked her cheek lovingly, "It's alright. I'm here. Nothing's going to happen to you."  
  
Raven shifted her body so she could face the elf, "No, not when I'm with you." With that, she unleashed a passion she had not known she could summon and delivered her love the most crushing of kisses. She ran her fingers threw his hair, across his perfectly sculpted chest, down his smooth back, and all the while encouraging her partner with muffled gasps.  
  
It took a few seconds for Legolas to recover from the shock her ardent demands; never had Raven shown so much urgency . . . not that he minded of course. He decided to let her lead this at first and leaned into her sinuous kiss. When her sweet tongue crossed the threshold of his lips into his mouth, he felt himself grow hard, but he did not hate himself or his yearning ache for her; it would be wrong not to feel that way, or at least now that she returned his feelings. He could feel the slight quiver of her fingers as she placed them on his and guided them to the clasp of her tunic. When he did nothing, she lightly bit his lower lip and seductively placed her legs around his. Something went off in Legolas's mind, "Raven!" he pulled away, "What's gotten into you?"  
  
She looked taken aback. "I . . . I thought . . ." she trailed off and remembered her plan  
  
"Why are you being so aggressive? It's not like you. It isn't that I don't, "he thought a moment, "want you; I'm afraid of hurting you. I can't- I WILL NOT! I love you too much."  
  
Raven nodded and grew more relaxed.  
  
"When this is over and Ro-"  
  
The she-elf cut him off with kiss that was little more than a peck on the lips, "I know," she pulled herself up from the Prince's side.  
  
"Don't go," he held out his hand.  
  
"I must," she did not meet his eyes and reached the door.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"There is something that I have to do."  
  
"Stay with me, please."  
  
"I'll always be with you, always," she looked at him once more with those sad eyes before closing the door behind her, "Farewell my love," she whispered to the wind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Legolas was in the courtyard when the sun's first rays peeked over Minas Tirith's roofs. He helped himself to a handsome breakfast with Gimli and told the dwarf of his engagement to Raven.  
  
"I knew you had it in yer lad!" he said heartily over a mug of foaming beer, "She'll make you a fine wife, and Mirk- I mean Eyrn Lasgaelen, a fine queen, too!"  
  
After his morning meal, he went to find his prospective bride. He knocked her door, but no one answered. A quick peek through one of the windows told him the room vacant, so he crossed the courtyard once again to Darin's quarters; Raven and Arien would undoubtedly be there. He pulled the door open, "Hello Arien!" he said with a smile, but a hint of concern crossed his face when the other woman in his life did not run to him with open arms, "Where's Raven?"  
  
"Good morning Legolas. I dunno where she ran off to; she left before I even woke up. Strange though, I'm always the first one out of bed by half and hour at least," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Darin's doing much better this morning," she smiled.  
  
Although he was very much pleased to hear his friend was on the road to recovery, learning that the she-elf in question had not been seen since before sunrise brought a tinge of worry to his heart, "Send for me if he wakes up," he nodded the unconscious elf, "I'm going to look for my betrothed," he said with a smirk headed for the exit.  
  
Arien spoke quickly, "Congratulations on the engagement!" she cried just as the Prince pulled the door shut behind him. She smiled; they were meant for each other.  
  
Legolas searched the inns and asked the random soldier who passed by, but no one had seen any she-elves with flowing silvery blonde hair and emerald eyes. As he came closer and closer to the back of the city, his hopes of finding Raven diminished along with the setting sun, but there was one place he had not searched: the palace! He rushed to the great doors and questioned the guard on duty at the gate, "Excuse me, have you seen any elves pass through here?"  
  
"Not besides you," he grinned.  
  
His heart sank, "How long have you been on duty?"  
  
"It's a twelve hour shift, and I'm almost through with mine," he gave a great yawn.  
  
"Is there ANY way you could have not seen her or she came through a different way?" he asked with a brow furrowed with unease.  
  
"Not unless she can fly. I'm sorry, but if your friend came to the palace after five o'clock in the morning, I'd've known."  
  
Legolas chewed the inside of his cheek and nodded grimly, "Have you seen Lady Arwen at all today? Did she say anything about meeting someone named Raven?"  
  
The guard shook his head apologetically, "The Queen left for Lothlorien yesterday."  
  
His anxiety was displayed clearly on his face, "Thank you," he nodded and headed back to the House of Healing.  
  
Legolas double-checked the inns along his route back to no avail before he reached Darin's quarters and met Gimli in the street, "Hello my friend," he smiled weakly.  
  
"My Legolas, what's got you looking so upset?"  
  
"It's Raven . . . I cannot find her . . . "  
  
"Well, she can't have just disappeared. She's probably with Arien," he put too much emphasis on the 'Ar' in 'Arien'.  
  
"I do hope so, Gimli."  
  
But when they reached the wounded elf's room, Legolas was once again disappointed.  
  
"I'm sorry, but Raven hasn't been in all day," reported Arien, "where could she be?" she folded her arms.  
  
"I, I don't know . . . I remember she said something about something she HAD to do before she left my room but . . ." he clenched his fists and gnawed on his lower lip in desperation.  
  
At that moment, Arien remembered her last private conversation and felt her heart come to a stop. She closed her eyes, "No . . . stupid girl," she said barely above a whisper.  
  
"What?" Legolas looked into her eyes.  
  
"Don't you see? She's afraid of hurting us!" She-"  
  
Legolas did not pay attention to the rest of Arien's words. The instant he pieced the puzzle together, he felt as if his soul had been sucked from his body; Raven was sacrificing herself to Roain to keep him safe. He blacked out.  
  
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To all readers and reviewers: thank you for reading my fic! I hope you're enjoying it so far and look forward to what's on its way!  
  
DeathnDestructionSkeksis, uhhh. . . . I have no name, ElvenStar5, I will try to read your fic, but my mom will not let me access FF.net with our computer because she thinks it will kill it. In fact, I have to depend on a friend to update my chapters, but I will do what I can! 


	15. Wings

Hello everyone! May I apologize for taking forever to update- I've been denied access to a computer for quite some time, but while I was separated from my laptop, I got most of the brainstorming work done. Enjoy chapter fifteen of the Raven saga!   
  
A groan escaped Legolas's lips as his mind registered the blurred shadows surrounding him. After several seconds of impaired vision, a particularly sack-shaped figure focused into the sitting form of one of his dearest friends, "Arien," he breathed in a groggy voice, "I had the most horrible dream. Raven-"  
  
A grave expression grew on her face as she finished his sentence for him, "- left. Legolas, it was not a dream."  
  
The Prince's eyes grew wide with panic, "No . . ." His head fell back on his pillow and his eyes dulled.  
  
She tried to meet his misty blue orbs, but he gazed into an unseen realm, "I am sorry . . . Minas Tirith has already dispatched several searchers. Gimli was among the first who volunteered, but-"  
  
Legolas cut her off with a look that would have frozen the heart of the grimmest mortal, "How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"Since yesterday evening. It's now almost ten o'clock," she chewed the inside of her cheeks.  
  
He felt his pulse slow; Raven had been missing for more than a day, which was plenty of time for Roain to-. He shivered and refused to finish his thought. He needed to be positive. She could still be alive. "I must find her," desperation laced his voice. The Prince pulled the light sheets away from himself and placed his feet on the cold stone-floor. To his surprise, Darin lay in the bed next to him, and his cheeks were starting to get their color back.  
  
"I'm going with you," she said with slight hesitation; she did not want to leave Darin. Unlike the Prince though, she was much more down to Earth and knew there was no way Raven could still be alive. When he finally accepted the truth, there was no telling what he would do. She could not leave him alone.  
  
"No. Arien, your place is with Darin," he looked into her eyes, "You belong by side." His tone was firm.  
  
The woman wanted to protest, but Legolas's words had struck her. Somehow, she had always known they were the truth but hearing them stole her voice. All she could do was watch in stunned silence as he looked into Darin's face and exited the room.  
  
The hour it took Legolas to prepare for travel passed like the blink of an eye in Arien's mind, and before she could say goodbye, Legolas was riding from Minas Tirith. Wind whipping her long black hair, she watched him and Arod from one of the great watch towers as they raced from sight- raced from her life. As she stared helplessly after the fading figures, the reality finally settled in her mind; she had lost them- the only two friends she ever had. Even though she knew long before that Raven was not coming back, the importance of this fact finally reached the intricate workings of her brain. An angst-ridden cry erupted from the depths of her soul, "WHY RAVEN, WHY? WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO PROVE? WHY DID I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO GO?" She fell to her knees and beat the ground with her fist, "WHY?" All Arien could see was red; the strain of her shrieks had burst the blood vessels in her eyes. She passed out.  
  
A soft moan escaped Arien's chapped lips as she sat up in bed. A day had passed since Legolas left.  
  
"Wow," came a familiar voice, "Arien, you look terrible."  
  
"Darin, shut the hell-" her eyes instantly widened, "DARIN!" She catapulted from her bed and rushed to his side. "You're awake! When did you come to? How are you feeling?" Arien could not remember her misery as she hugged him tightly.  
  
"Oh, an hour ago I should say, and I'm perfectly alright, if not a little tired. Can you imagine my surprise when I saw you next to me? What in the names of the Valar did you do to your eyes?"  
  
"Wha?" she asked as she glanced in the mirror. She gasped in her vanity at the monstrous bruises around her eyes; it looked like she had been kicked in the face. "I screamed so hard I must have popped a vain or something," she said in disbelief.  
  
"Why were you screaming?" Darin asked in confusion.  
  
Arien's stomach dropped as her memories returned, "Raven . . ."  
  
He furrowed his brow, "What about her?"  
  
"She's dead."  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"She left to protect us. She thought her being here was endangering us, so she did the only thing she could think of." Her eyes were too swollen to produce tears.  
  
"She gave herself to Roain . . ." he could hardy believe his own words. "What about Legolas?"  
  
"He left to search for her. I think he's in denial. There was nothing I could do," she shook her head, "He couldn't bare to loose her."  
  
Darin's head fell back in shock, "He's not coming back, is he?" It was more of a statement than a question.  
  
Arien looked away; she could not bring herself to say no," I'm not sure." Deep down, she knew it was only a matter of time before he gave into depression.  
  
The other sighed, "What can we do?"  
  
"I don't know . . ." she sat at the foot of his bed, "I just don't know anything for certain anymore!" She felt her face grow hot. "I just keep thinking there was something I could have done. If only I'd known; I should have slit that bastard's throat when I had the chance." She took a damp cloth to her eyes to sooth her eyes and to hide her emotions.  
  
"There was no way we could've known, Arien. You can't let it get to you, and besides . . . she might still be alive," he offered and sat up.  
  
"I hope so, I really do," her voice throbbed, "I need her to be alive."  
  
"Me too," he said and cast a sorrowful glance at the floor and released a long breath, "Me too."  
  
Raven groaned and sat down in the shade of a large rock, "Sigh," she said, "I am in quite the predicament. You see I left with the impression that I'd be wandering for five, fifteen minutes tops, and then Roain would appear out of nowhere and then I'd die. But nooo- I've been out here in the rain for days, waiting for the biggest creep in history! Look at me," she screamed at the rock, "I'm wet; I'm dirty; I'm tired; I'm hungry because I haven't eaten for a week because I didn't bring any food!" she exhaled and calmed down considerably, "I really didn't plan this well."  
  
"No, indeed you did not."  
  
"Great. Now the rock is talking."  
  
"Wrong," Roain grinned down from the top of the rock.  
  
Raven's heart jumped in her mouth; this was it. She felt the numbing fear flow in her veins, but she refused to show it. "Where- how the hell did you get up there without me noticing?"  
  
His smirk lengthened and his eyes narrowed, "I have my ways. The question is: why were you stupid enough to come out here," he smoothly leapt down in front of her, "alone?"  
  
She tilted her chin up defiantly, "I came to save my friends . . ." she swallowed, "Take me. Just, leave them alone. Stay away from Legolas." Her stomach performed back-flips and somersaults.  
  
Roain's eyes and mouth widened in disbelief and shock, "You, you're giving yourself to me?"  
  
Raven cast her eyes to the ground and nodded silently.  
  
He could not believe it; how could anyone care for someone so deeply? She had to be lying. He hungrily drove his mouth on hers and raked his hands down her body and took no shame in touching her in places even Legolas had not dared to explore.  
  
Every instinct told her to pull away or punch him square in the nose. She clenched her fist and prepared to strike, but suddenly Legolas's smile came to her mind. Raven relaxed her hand.  
  
Roain waited for her assault, but it never came. He pulled away, "You mean it, don't you?" it was more like a statement than a question.  
  
"Yes."  
  
He stared at her in astonishment; she was sacrificing herself for another. His brilliant mind could hardly comprehend the absolute loyalty and devotion she held for her friends . . . and her immeasurable love for Legolas. He had to have this love. Not just for a moment . . . forever.  
  
She furrowed her brow, "What?" The rain grew stronger.  
  
Roain ignored her question, "Come."  
  
She took a timid step forward.  
  
"We must fly."  
  
"And how do you propose to do that?"  
  
He smirked, "With wings."  
  
"Wha-" she cut herself off as the world grew dark. She closed her eyes, and strong wind blew about her.  
  
"Open your eyes."  
  
Raven did as instructed and gasped at the sight before her; a winged-man flew several feet over where Roain had stood only seconds ago. His eyes were completely black, except for his red slit pupils, and his eagle-like wings and long hair matched his startling orbs. He smiled at her stunned expression, revealing white fanged teeth that contrasted his darkly tanned complexion. "Am I not magnificent?" He swooped down and caught Raven in his arms before she could question him.  
  
She screamed and fought desperately, but none of her effort had any affect. She waved her arms wildly and tore at his wings. She managed to rip out some black feathers and threw them to the ground. As time passed, she stopped fighting and watched as the landscape grew more and more barren as they flew toward a group of mountains. She knew what they were called: Ered Lithui- the mountains of Mordor.  
  
Some time later, they landed in a cave of one of the outer mountains. Once inside, the strange being released the she-elf and stood in front of the exit.  
  
When she had backed away from her captor, she asked the question that had nagged at her, "Who are you and what have you done with Roain?"  
  
"Aw," he said and pretended to be hurt, "Raven, don't you recognize me?"  
  
She furrowed her brow at him, "Roain?"  
  
"Yes, that's me, although I go by many other names," he listed them off with his fingers, "Simiov, Arimus, Zxyk, Chrazrcz, Harqutio, which is my birth-name, and one that you may recognize: Roy." He laughed at the roundness of her eyes as he continued, "The list goes on and on!"  
  
"Roy Lions?" she asked in utter disbelief.  
  
His laughter grew as he nodded.  
  
"That's not possible!"  
  
"Oh really? How so?"  
  
"Because it's not!"  
  
"My dear girl, if you came here, why is it so hard to believe that I did as well?"  
  
Raven opened her mouth to protest, but she quickly closed it.  
  
"Do you have something to say?"  
  
"How-"  
  
"Did I become winged?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
A proud grin grew across his well-featured face, "I," he paused for a dramatic affect, "am a demon."  
  
"Great. How lovely."  
  
Harqutio smirked. "So, what do you really look like?"  
  
"This," he said with a shrug.  
  
"How did you come to Middle-Earth?"  
  
He grinned and raised his chin, "I'm a demon; think about it."  
  
"Yea but, it doesn't add up. Legolas said you've been here for years, and I only came a few months ago."  
  
Harqutio shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't know, but I must say- I was really surprised when you walked into Mirkwood."  
  
"That's Eyrn Lasgaelen."  
  
He grunted, "I never gave a damn about names," he laughed. "Anyway, you did your friend Arien quite a service by coming when you did." He saw the confusion building on Raven's face before he continued, "Do you recall her ever mentioning anyone by the name of Dartanian?"  
  
Her eyes widened, "That was you?" she nearly screamed.  
  
Harqutio nodded, "I could sense she could shift trough universes, and that drew me to her. I was going to take her in hopes of gaining her gift-"  
  
"What? Why would you need her "gift"?" she stressed the last word and narrowed her eyes.  
  
The demon sighed, "Like her, I too lost my ability in the shift to Middle- Earth. Anyway, back to my story. Arien was close to surrendering to me, but then I saw you again. You had only been a tool for my pleasure on Earth, but when I saw you here, I knew you were more than you seemed."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Normal humans cannot survive the jump between worlds."  
  
"What do you mean?" she furrowed her brows.  
  
"I mean you're different from those selfish humans. They claim to do something for someone else, but they always have hidden motives," he said venomously. "But not you. It took me nearly two years for me to realize that." He grinned when he saw Raven's nervous swallow.  
  
"What are you going to do to me?"  
  
"I will, of course, take you . . . and your ability," he said cooly and cleaned his fingernails.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Not tonight. The moon isn't ready."  
  
"Ready for what?" she snapped, "You to rape me to death?"  
  
Harqutio looked up from his fingers with a smirk, "No, you foolish girl, the moon has to be positioned correctly in order for the transference to be successful. Until then, I cannot lay a finger on your virginity. And you can stop worrying because loosing it won't kill you." When he saw the confusion written on her face, he explained, "Because you willingly gave yourself to me, your soul will survive."  
  
"So you'll let me go?" Hope sparkled like emeralds in her eyes.  
  
He almost laughed, "Of course not!"  
  
She looked aghast, "Why not? You'll have your "gift"," she motioned quotation marks with her fingers. "I'll be no more use to you!"  
  
"Look at me Raven. When I enter another world, the people will worship me; I will be made a god!" He grinned, "And I will make you my goddess!"  
  
"No!" she cried, "I can't be your goddess or anything else! I won't stay with you Ro- Harqutio. My place is with Legolas; I love him!"  
  
Rage festered in the demon's black orbs, "If you go to him I'll kill him!"  
  
Raven fell back in surprise at the raw hate in Harqutio's voice- the last time she heard such a tone was the night her mother tried to kill her. When she regained her rebellious composure, she instantly snapped her reply: "Fine, you'll have your goddess, but you will never have my heart."  
  
"Then I shall have your hatred!" Harqutio shouted and crushed his lips on Raven's until her body hopelessly submitted to his rapacious kiss.  
  
Arien shifted her position on the bench and folded her legs. She gazed thoughtfully at the stars and tried in vain to clear her mind; it was not good to dwell on things you had no control over.  
  
The search parties had returned empty-handed the day before. Besides Arien and Darin, the one person who took the news of Legolas's choice the worst was Gimli, and he was rarely seen outside the pub, where he sat surrounded by empty mugs.  
  
Arien thought of the poor dwarf often, but tonight she wanted to be free of her worries. But less than an hour of solitude had passed when none other than Darin broke the serene silence," Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone else was up here; I'll go . . ." Instead of leaving as his words implied, he waited in hopes that Arien would not mind his intrusion.  
  
"No, don't worry. Stay- there's enough sky up here for both of us to stare at."  
  
Darin smiled faintly, "Um, may I?" The elf nodded to the bench.  
  
"Hm? Oh, yes, go ahead." She looked back up at the heavens and felt Darin sit down a few inches away. After a few seconds of peace, she got the uncanny feeling that someone was watching her. Slowly, Arien turned her head and was almost surprised to see the elf next to her gazing up at her, and she returned his stare.  
  
"Do you know what I thought when I first saw you?" When she tensed and shook her head he continued, "I thought you were the most stunning and intriguing woman I'd ever seen. I knew right then and there . . . that I loved you."  
  
Arien's heart fluttered like a leaf in the breeze.  
  
"And Arien, I still do, if you are willing to love one as unworthy as I." He tried to sound confident, but the she-elf next to him could sense his anxiety as he waited in angst for her response.  
  
"Darin, I-"  
  
He cut her off with his lips; the look in her eyes was all he needed to know her thoughts. A short while later, he pulled back from his polite kiss and placed an arm around her shoulders. She leaned contentedly into his side, a pleasant smile on her lips.  
  
Legolas leapt from Arod's back and inspected the earth with his sharp elfish eyes. A smug smile lit his lips as he discovered a faint impression in the moist dirt; Raven had been here only a few days ago. He led his horse and followed her trail for several hours until he came across a predicament- his love's footprints came to a large boulder and then ceased to be. Feeling his worries resurface, he combed the area for clues. To his horror, he found another set of tracks: Roain's. Following them with his eyes, he saw signs of a brief struggle where they met up with Raven's, and then they both simply stopped.  
  
His brow creased in alarm. How could two people just disappear? He leapt atop the stone and squinted into the distance. When he turned his gaze northeastward, a black spot on the horizon caught his eyes. Maneuvering quickly, the prince jumped to his stallion's back and raced toward it. As he neared his destination, the spots manifested into large black feathers the likes of which he had never seen before. They were too small for one of the eagles but far too big for a crow or raven, and the scarlet blood on their tips indicated that they had been torn out, but how?  
  
Suddenly, a forceful wind blew the feathers into the air and swirled them around the elf. Next, the gale carried them toward the mountains on the horizon. Legolas swallowed; he knew that was where Raven was. If asked to justify his reasoning, he knew he could not . . . he just, knew. 


	16. New beginnings

READ ME Hello my dear readers, sorry to keep you waiting. It is my proud duty to present you with the final chapter of Into Your Arms. I hope you loved my first story. In font size 10 with proper book format, it's 196 pages.  
  
Beforehand, I'd like to clear a few things up:  
  
-Roain/Harqutio and Raven are currently in a cave in the mountains of Mordor; Legolas is in the wastes looking for Raven; Arien, Darin, and Gimli are in Minas Tirith. -Roy/Roain/Harqutio killed Kasseendra, his sister. He was Raven's stalker, not boyfriend. -Legolas and Raven are not married; Raven had a dream that they were. They are engaged. -Arien mentioned Dartanian in chapter 5 as her significant other.  
  
I hope that makes everything a little clearer for everyone. Now, on with Chapter 16!  
  
Legolas brought his hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the pounding rain. He cast his sight to the growing mountains that loomed forebodingly in the east and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Clamping his teeth on his tongue, the elf fought the urge to call out her name; he could not risk losing the element of surprise. 'Raven . . .', he thought and suppressed the lump growing in his throat; he needed to feel her slender body in his arms again.  
  
A few seconds later, he remembered the journey ahead and realized Arod's slow pace. He patted the horse's neck encouragingly, "C'mon Arod, just a little faster." He knew that the storm and rocky terrain made it difficult for his stallion's hooves, but every second counted for more than just the best time in this race. Legolas blinked the rain from his eyes and whispered his plea, "Raven, please be safe . . ."  
  
From the darkness and security of her niche in the cavern wall, Raven watched a storm rage beyond the entrance to the grotto. After hearing a clap of thunder, her eyes roamed away from the opening and wandered about the rock walls- she liked to know where Harqutio was at all times-, but she could not spot him. Suddenly, lightning flashed and illuminated the face of her captor, which caused Raven to inhale a startled breath; he was perching in a hunched over position about three feet above her head.  
  
"Aren't we jumpy today?" he grinned and flew down from the ledge.  
  
The she-elf sighed, "What do you want Harqutio?"  
  
"You."  
  
Raven muttered several insulting phrases and rude words under her breath.  
  
The demon released an exaggerated sigh, "I thought so." He wrapped his long fingers around her wrist, "Come."  
  
Raven squinted at the floor of the cave in the dim light, and soon a small pool of water materialized just a few feet away. She furrowed her brow and looked to Harqutio just in time to see him dive his free hand into the folds of his black cloak, which made him nearly invisible. A grin crawled across his face as he produced a cloth and handed it to Raven. "Wash," he stated in a devious tone.  
  
The she-elf eyed him distrustfully, "What do you mean?"  
  
"Just what I said," his voice grew stronger.  
  
Raising an eyebrow, she gingerly dipped the piece of rough fabric into the water and brought it to her arm.  
  
She heard the winged demon's laughter almost instantly, "No, you foolish girl, you can't wash yourself like that. Aren't those clothes of yours cumbersome; I think you should remove them." His smirk spread wider.  
  
Raven's mouth and eyes dropped open, "No I won't take my clothes off, you sick fuck! Ba-"  
  
Harqutio quickly cut her off, "Do it yourself, or I'll do it for you."  
  
She moved her mouth to speak, but no words came. After a long swallow, the she-elf turned away from her captor and hurriedly pulled off her tunic and skirts. Although earlier she was skeptic of the safety of the dark waters, she hastily splashed into the pool for cover. The chill of the water made her breath came in raspy gulps, and she felt as if thousands of tiny knives were stabbing at her flesh and bone, but she forced herself to the deepest part of the pool.  
  
"Turn around," came his voice. Her heart slowed at his request, but she did not obey. "Turn around!" he boomed, but still Raven did not respond. Anger flashed in his black eyes as an idea flashed in his mind. He unfastened the belt at his waist and let his robes fall the ground. When his foot splashed in the water, he took great pleasure in seeing the muscles in Raven's back tense. When he finally reached his target, the freezing liquid was up to his waist, and he was quite relieved that he had decided to leave his slacks on. Grinning, he draped his arms around his prey, "Well Raven, the water certainly is cold."  
  
She spoke between her chattering teeth, "Not as cold as your heart."  
  
"Ouch Raven, that hurt." His voice dripped with sarcasm, "You need to be a little," he brought his hands under her arms and to her breasts, and a gasp escaped Raven's lips, "nicer."  
  
"Oh Harqutio, don't, please . . ." she tried to pry his hands away, but instead of letting go, he squeezed tighter, producing pain as a result. Determined to punish and enjoy thoroughly, he turned his prey around to face him. Most of Raven's body was white with cold, but her slight breasts were red and swollen from his brutal attentions . . . and her lips were the color of winter's first frost.  
  
"My Raven, are you cold? Your lips are blue; do you want me to warm them for you?" Without waiting for an answer, he planted his lips on hers. Although it was by no means a soft and gentle kiss like the ones she was used to, it was not as violent as the ones Harqutio usually delivered. For a day and a half, Raven had successfully fought her impulses to rip Harqutio's face off, but when she felt his slick tongue try to force its way through her teeth, she lost control. The she-elf used the heel of her palm to punch him in the temple, pushed off from the demon with all her strength, and struggled away from him in his confusion.  
  
She was beginning to wonder just how big the pool was when she came in contact with the wall of the cave. When Raven heard Harqutio's curses and splashes headed in her direction, she exhaled in defeat and lowered her feet to walk back- she was going to have to face him sooner or later anyway- , but her feet never met the rocky bottom. Instead, she sank like a stone through an opening in the floor, until everything below her neck was submerged. A smile lit her lips as she coolly swam back to an enraged Harqutio and backed away inside her mind- letting him desecrate her body as he pleased. This was the last time he would ever touch her again; tonight, she was escaping through the pool.  
  
Raven lay in an awkward position on the rocks and dirt as she waited for Harqutio to fall asleep. She gazed hungrily at the pile of warm, soft furs he had wrapped himself in. He had invited her numerous times to join him, but each time she had fervently declined.  
  
The minutes rolled into hours, and finally she felt it was safe enough to make her move. Cautiously, the she-elf pulled her stiff body up and crept as quietly as possible to the pool in the back of the cavern. She peered into the dark water and readied herself for the frigid bite they would induce. She carefully dipped herself into the water in an attempt to make minimal splashes, but her slow pace made the cold take hold faster; already her fingers were seizing up, and the icy liquid stung at her sides. Upon reaching the opening in the pool floor, she cast a last fleeting glance back to Harqutio to make sure he was not watching. When she was satisfied, she pulled in a deep breath and dove beneath the surface.  
  
Because she could not see in the pitch-black darkness, Raven had to feel her way through the tight underwater passage. She thrashed about desperately in an attempt to find the way out, but all she found were blocked crevasses and sharp rocks that left cruel gashes on her arms and legs. After another short while of blind searching, she became aware of a nagging sensation in her chest; she needed air! With that in mind, she turned back and swam out of her present chasm, but she ran into a wall of solid rock. She tried again, but once again she came to a dead end. Panic flooded her mind as the cold flooded her brain; she was going to die in the frozen darkness. When all hope left her and her body became wracked with convulsions due to lack of air, she felt arms wrap around her. Lips pressed against hers, and air entered her lungs. A hand grabbed hold of hers and guided her through the maze of passages. Raven broke the surface of the water in fits of gasping for air and coughing. Her chest heaved painfully as she pulled herself from the water and on to the hard, dry ground.  
  
"Stupid bitch," came Harqutio's angry voice.  
  
"You . . . saved me?" she asked between pants.  
  
"Who else?" he answered with a slow drawl.  
  
Raven did not bother to answer.  
  
"I thought so," he said airily as he stood up. Before she could evade him, the demon caught her around the stomach and carried her to his furs. She squirmed to get out of his grip, but he merely smirked- feeling her weakened struggles gave him intense pleasure.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.  
  
"Your little display proved to me that you could not be trusted, so now I simply must keep you close by." He set the she-elf down on his bed and beat his great wings, sending millions of water droplets flying through the air in all directions.  
  
"What are you going to do to me?" she asked blandly.  
  
A twisted smile marred Harqutio's intriguing features, "Get you out of those wet clothes."  
  
Raven lay naked with her back to the winged demon and waited for his hands to find her, but as the minutes passed on, they did not come. Suspicion filled her mind, and soon curiosity took over. She pulled a fur up to her neck, rolled over to face Harqutio, and caught him gazing intently at her porcelain skin- much like the way a starving man behind bars would look at a juicy piece of meat just beyond his reach; she felt her skin crawl. "Don 't look at me like that," she said coldly.  
  
"I can't help it . . . you are such an exquisite creature. Did they ever tease you for your small breasts?" When she looked away with a sour expression on her face, he assumed his assumption was correct. "How typical. Humans are so materialistic and cruel." He stroked her shoulder. "Tis a pity you would refuse to come to me willingly if I did not have," he licked his lips, "certain leverage."  
  
"Humph," came Raven's response. She contemplated the demon's words and thought of the reasons she was here- Legolas, Arien, and Darin. Had they forgotten about her? 'Tch, no.' Were they out there looking for her? 'They better not be.' Were they angry with her? Would she ever see them again . . . would she ever see him again? The question hit her heart like a gunshot. How she wished she could just runaway and escape . . .  
  
"Don't even think about it," Harqutio's voice stopped her train of thought. "If you ever try another stunt like what you pulled earlier, I'll bring your two friends and your," he ran his tongue across his teeth, "lover and make you eat their hearts."  
  
The green-eyed girl narrowed her eyes and sent her most powerful punch rocketing toward his face, but the demon caught her fist with ease and twisted her wrist until she shrieked with pain, and a deafening snapping sound echoed against the cavern walls.  
  
Harqutio shot out his hand and gripped her chin and neck to force her to look at him. "Let me get one thing straight- I am the one in control. I throw the punches." He released his hold.  
  
Pain-stimulated tears welled in Raven's eyes as she stared in disbelief at her hand, which now faced the wrong direction, "You're sick," she hissed trough gritted teeth.  
  
"And your wrist is broken," he said nonchalantly. "Here." He took the she- elf's arm and twisted her hand back to its original position- making her cry out.  
  
Raven quickly pulled her arm away and cradled her shattered wrist. "How often does the moon enter the correct position for what you want to do to me?" She tried to distract herself from the throbbing pain.  
  
"Oh, every five hundred years, but it's always the same date."  
  
She had to force herself not to scream, "And when is the next one?"  
  
A smile crept onto Harqutio's mouth and horror crept into Raven's heart, "Tomorrow night."  
  
The demon watched the she-elf long after she fell asleep, and he could tell from the serene smile on her lips that she was dreaming of her lover, Legolas. He narrowed his eyes when the elf's name crossed his mind; how he hated him. His resentment toward the prince had nothing to do personality or position, but rather he was insanely envious of Raven's love for him. He wanted so deeply for her to run to him, to embrace him, to need him, or even to just confide in him like she did Legolas. Right when he thought that final desire, a scheming plot unfolded in his manipulative mind; to whom would she turn with her pain if no one was there . . . but him? Speaking in a dark tongue that few others knew, the demon placed his hand an inch over Raven's head, rolled his red-slit pupils back, and summoned cursed spirits of evil.  
  
The salty tastes of blood and tears were in Raven's mouth as she scrambled up against the grime-encrusted wall, and Sibella Marr towered over her ten year old daughter. The woman held an eight-inch turkey-carving knife at ready by her side. With her other hand, she clamped her vice-like fingers around the sobbing girl's elbow and screamed in her alto voice, "This'll teach you to smash the glasses, you worthless piece of shit!  
  
"Mommy please," she pleaded, "I promise I'll be more careful!"  
  
"The hell you will!" Raven's mother drove the steel blade into her struggling daughter's wrist and racked a line of blood to the opening of her elbows.  
  
The small girl writhed with pain and she shrieked in agony, but no one answered her cries of terror. Trying desperately to get free, she sunk her teeth into Sibella's arm until the woman pulled away.  
  
"You little animal! I'll kill you; I'll KILL you, you hear!"  
  
She was just about to pounce when Jason came in yelling, "Mother no!" he cried, but he was too late; Sibella had sliced his sister's other arm before he could reach either of the two. "Stop it! You'll kill her!" the young boy begged.  
  
"What do you THINK I'm trying to do?" she bellowed and pointed the bloody knife at her half-conscious daughter's chest.  
  
"No!" Jason shrieked and fought against his mother.  
  
"Why you little-!" Sibella bared her teeth and scrunched her lips. All Raven could do was watch in horror as her mother slowly overpowered her brother and jammed the blade into his throat. From her puddle of blood, she looked on in despair as the boy- the only person who ever loved her- choked on his own blood and died at her feet.  
  
Raven woke suddenly with sweat on her brow and a scream on her lips. She glanced in all directions and felt around for her brother, but her hands only groped the furs. After a few more seconds, she remembered the past eight years and felt herself calm down, but the fear in her heart could not be eased. The dams in her eyes broke, and fresh tears glided down her cheeks as she tried to force the flashback from her mind. Then more than ever she wished Legolas were there- she wanted to be held and soothed so badly . . .  
  
Harqutio had watched Raven twitch and moan in her nightmare with a smug grin on his face, which spread nearly from ear to ear when she awoke in tears. Sensing her fear and need for comfort, he out stretched his hand to her quavering shoulder, "Raven, what's wrong?" he pumped concern into his voice.  
  
"Nothing!" she snapped and turned away.  
  
He ignored her retort, "Why are you crying, my love?"  
  
Her back straightened, "I am not your love," she said firmly through gritted teeth.  
  
The demon exhaled through his nose but kept his temper, "Why are you so upset? What did you dream?" He already knew what the answer was.  
  
"None of your business," her tears were oh so obvious in her voice.  
  
"Was it about that woman? Did she hurt you?" He could almost see her thoughts in the air. "Was is about that boy? Did she hurt him too?"  
  
The she-elf's crying grew louder.  
  
Seeing how easily manipulated she was in her fear, he grinned maliciously, "What did she do to him?"  
  
"She killed him!" Raven yelled, "She KILLED him!" She cried so hard she could not speak for several seconds. "And she, she-" the girl stopped struggling with words and rubbed her arms uncontrollably. Harqutio opened his mouth to speak, but Raven continued, "I just wanted her to love me! She hated me!" Her screams grew hysterical, "She said EVERYONE hated me! But not Jason; Jason was the only person who cared! But she killed him! She took him away from me! And I just wanted to be her little girl!" She shook in her sobs.  
  
"Raven, it's alright. It's all over." He stroked her back.  
  
"Harqutio, please, don't touch me . . . I don't think I can take it."  
  
"Why?" He moved in until he was pressing against her body. The demon wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and shoulders. "I just want to care for you." He ran his fingers across her torso and felt himself grow so hard it almost hurt.  
  
Raven's mind was a mess; her memories haunted her, she needed comfort, and Harqutio was trying to give it, but he was evil, right? Exactly. So what if he had saved her life? He'd taken it before. So what if he was trying to calm her? He'd nearly driven her insane in the past. While she was committing her analysis of the situation, Harqutio took full advantage of her body during her mental absence.  
  
When Raven returned to full consciousness, she became aware of the demon's hand crawling across her skin toward her most private area. Her blood boiled with rage; he had been manipulating her through her fear. She quickly threw herself from his grasp and onto the rocks. "Stay the hell away from me!"  
  
Seeing that his plans of seducing her were foiled, anger flashed in Harqutio's black eyes. "One day soon, Raven, you'll be on your hands and knees BEGGING for me to throw you on the ground and take you! You'll be my fucking slave!" He laughed at the pun and the repulsed expression on the she-elf's face. "Face it, Raven, tonight's the night, and somehow I doubt your betrothed will come for you." He looked out toward the entrance of the cave and saw the sun's rays poke out from behind a cloud. "Look you stupid girl, it's dawn already; you have a little over twelve hours before you become mine!" He cackled at her futile attempts to ignore him as she pulled on her clothes.  
  
"One day, I'll kill you," she said darkly.  
  
"Foolish girl," he laughed, "no mortal weapon can kill such a demon as me!" Raven turned away and cast her eyes to the ground as he continued, "And besides, what would the point be? Who would you turn to, after you destroyed me? Your friends . . . your love? They've all forgotten about you, Raven. You forfeited your life to save them, and they can't even remember your name."  
  
"That's not true," she said.  
  
He snorted, "Oh really? Then where are they? Where are your friends? Where is your precious Legolas?"  
  
"Right here," the elf said from the entrance to the cavern.  
  
"Legolas!" Raven cried in joy and terrible fear for his life as she ran toward the figure traced in the blinding light of the sun; he looked like a glowing angel straight out of heaven, but she had a horrible feeling that the demon that held her could easily kill such an ethereal being.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Harqutio bellowed and caught her arm.  
  
"Let go of her!" Legolas shouted in fury and let an arrow fly. The winged demon roared with anger when the bolt pierced his hand.  
  
The she-elf broke free of Harqutio's severely weakened grip and ran to the prince. "Run!"  
  
He ignored her command, "Where's Roain?" He loaded another arrow and screened the cave.  
  
"He is Roain," she nodded to Harqutio, "Now hurry, you need to get out of here!"  
  
Mentally thanking the Valar for letting his love be safe, he dropped his bow and held her in his arms when she reached him. Raven would have loved to stay in his embrace forever, but she had to get him out of there. To the prince's utter confusion, she pushed away from him. "He's a demon! You need to get out of here before he kills you!"  
  
"Roain's a demon?" he nearly yelled in his bewilderment.  
  
Before the she-elf could answer, Harqutio flew from the back of the cavern with a new pair of wickedly sharp harpy talons to match his wings. "She's mine!" he shrieked as he snatched her by the arms and threw her kicking and screaming into a pool of shadows.  
  
"Raven!" Legolas yelled and started to run over to her, but Harqutio blocked him with a flare of his wings.  
  
"Leave her," he demanded.  
  
"Never!"  
  
"Then die," the demon bared his fangs and launched himself at the elfish warrior.  
  
Legolas and Harqutio's battle was one of the most intense either of them had ever participated in. The elf took mainly the defensive with his short swords while his enemy aggressively attacked with his cruel talons and fists. Jumping agilely to evade a blow from Harqutio's onslaught, the elfish warrior found his opponent's left side completely defenseless. Legolas could hardly believe his luck as he slashed at the other's shoulder- severing his left arm off from the rest of his body with one clean stroke. Instead of howling and writhing with pain, Harqutio sighed as he picked up his left arm, placed it on his shoulder, and twisted it as if he was screwing it back in place. He looked up at Legolas and smiled at his thunderstruck expression. "And they said elves were wise. You should know that no mortal weapon could ever kill me. Go ahead and hack off my limbs all you want, and I'll just put them back on. You can't defeat me; eventually you'll run out of strength, but I'll just be getting started."  
  
Before the other had time to think, he continued his assault with his talons. Laughing maniacally, Harqutio flung himself at the elf, knocking his victim to the ground. "Perhaps I won't kill you right away; maybe I will let you watch as I take your beloved Raven and break her soul." He smiled at the raw fury that appeared on Legolas's face. Of course he meant none of his words; because she willingly surrendered herself to him, her soul would be fine, and he intended for that night to be without distraction. "Maybe I will let you see her writhing and screaming beneath me as I thrust inside h-" Legolas's enraged cry cut him off.  
  
The deepest hate the elf had ever experienced replenished his strength ten fold as he sent a punch rocketing to Harqutio's jaw, sending him flying through the air; if he had not been a demon, the blow probably would have broken his neck. Not waiting for his enemy to regain his composure, the warrior charged with his twin blades flashing. Once again the battle commenced, but none of Legolas's well-aimed blows had any lasting effect on Harqutio, but with each swing of his swords, he felt his energy slowly leave him. When the demon knocked him to the ground again and send his swords skittering away, he knew this would be his last battle. He cast a fleeting glance to where his love had fallen; the only thing he lived for now was offering her enough time to escape. As Harqutio beat his great wings until he was high above his target and readied his claws for his killing move, the other wrapped his fingers around the hilt of a dagger that he had hidden in the folds of his cloak. He was prepared to make his last stand.  
  
Raven's head spun from its collision course with one of the many rocks that littered the floor of the cavern. From her pool of shadows, she watched most of the fight without any of it sinking in, but when her disorientation finally faded away, it was almost too late. Gazing with intelligent eyes, Raven saw Harqutio fly high above Legolas and ready his talons for his final attack. Horror flooding her mind, the girl envisioned her love's death. As she pulled herself up from the ground, an idea popped in her head, and a grin came to her lips. She ran faster that she ever had before- she had lost Jason, but she would not lose Legolas. Just as they closed in on each other, she threw herself between the two fighters before either of them had a moment to react. Because the pain was so intense as Harqutio's talons dug into her shoulders and Legolas's dagger gored her stomach, she couldn't find her voice to scream, but the demon could. The most primal screech any of them had ever heard erupted from Harqutio's throat, and even though Raven couldn't see him, she knew he was dead.  
  
She felt Legolas's shaking arms pull her into his lap. "Why did you do it? Why did you leave me? Why did you run between us?" His voice was pained.  
  
"He would have killed you." A glaze came to her emerald orbs.  
  
"Don't you understand? I don't give a damn what happens to me so long as I know you're safe."  
  
She smirked, "But I do." She could feel her life seep away as she rested her head against Legolas's chest. Her words came soft and weak, "You've shown me so much, my love. Never in all eternity could I show how thankful I am to have known you."  
  
Tears welled in his eyes, "Raven, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine. I'm going to get you out of here." He knew in his heart that there was nothing he could do, but he didn't care. His hands shook as they went to the pouch he carried at his side.  
  
"No," she placed her hand on his, "It's over. Stay with me just a little longer . . ." She grasped his hand. "Promise me something."  
  
"Anything, my love." His tone rang with despair  
  
She struggled to pull in one last painful breath, "Live."  
  
Legolas didn't know what to say as he saw the color fade from her lips "Raven . . ." he said and kissed her- as if he could keep life in her- but it was too late.  
  
He pulled away just in time to see her eyes close, "Goodbye, my love," she said, and her hand fell from his.  
  
Tears falling freely from his deep-blue orbs, he gathered her lifeless body in his arms and spoke in a wavering voice, "Raven? Please, don't go . . ." But in his heart, he knew she was already gone.  
  
He sat on his white throne, and with his white eyes he gazed with a bored expression at the endless white surrounding Him. Everywhere and everything was white; that was the norm.  
  
As His eyes wandered lazily along the horizon, a speck of black came into view. He would have been extremely surprised if He were capable of such a feeling. In order to investigate the disturbance, He reached out toward the speck and slowly brought His hand back to his chest. In an instant, the dark spot vanished from the distance, and a heap of filthy, tattered clothes appeared at His feet. A scarlet liquid leaked from the rags.  
  
He neared the bundle and began folding back the layers of worn fabric, and in a few moments, a girl's bloody body emerged from the mess. He nodded in knowing as He looked upon her familiar face and wounds. Without showing any emotion, He placed a hand over her stomach and another on her back. The red liquid stopped spreading, and the girl's eyelashes fluttered open.  
  
Blinking her incredibly green eyes, she sat up and blurted, "Where in God's name am I?" She scanned the never-ending whiteness.  
  
"The afterlife, Raven Marr," said He.  
  
She nearly jumped out of her skin, "Who's there?"  
  
"I am," He reached out and put a firm hand on her shoulder so she could see its outline against her green tunic.  
  
"Oh . . ." Raven said and followed His arm up to His body; she could very faintly make out the silhouette. "Sorry, I just couldn't see you. I guess you have some sort of camouflage thing going on. Nice." After a few more seconds, she remembered the first thing He had said. "Uh, are you like some sort of deity?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Her voice was downcast, "I guess that means I'm dead then, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Is Legolas okay?"  
  
"No, Legolas Greenleaf is experiencing extreme emotional trauma."  
  
Raven's heart panged, "Will he be all right? He's not about to do anything stupid, is he?" she asked quickly.  
  
"I cannot say; the future has yet to be written, but it is likely that he will not take his own life."  
  
The elf was relieved to hear this, but she didn't quite understand. "How do you know?"  
  
"You made him promise not to."  
  
With a pleased smile, she pulled herself up. "What about Harqutio? What happened to him?"  
  
"He died as well."  
  
She furrowed her brow in confusion, "That's what I thought, but I don't know how that's possible. Could you tell me who killed him?"  
  
"You did."  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
"The demon's only weakness resided in his own desires."  
  
She blinked, "Come again?"  
  
"He had a lust for virgin blood, and it was a virgin's blood sacrifice that was his undoing. The instant such a pure fluid touched his flesh, he ceased to be in the physical word, and his soul was cast into the depths."  
  
The elf nodded as she once again glanced about her new surroundings and came to the conclusion that she really did not like what she saw, or perhaps, what she didn't see. "Um, is it always so . . ." she twirled her fully healed wrist and tried to think up the proper adjective.  
  
"White?" He offered.  
  
Raven smiled, "Yea, that's the word!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh. Uh, where's everybody else? You know, the others like me?"  
  
"You will see soon enough," He said and pulled a golf-ball sized item out of His robes.  
  
Raven squinted to make it out, "What's with the ball?"  
  
"This is not a ball, for a ball is a sphere."  
  
"It looks pretty spherical to me," she stated bluntly.  
  
"That is because it has so many sides that your eyes cannot distinguish them."  
  
"Oh really?" Raven asked with interest, "How many sides are there?"  
  
"It would take nine hundred billion of your centuries for me to tell you, and by then the number would be inaccurate."  
  
"Why?" She scrunched her brow.  
  
"Because it is always gaining more."  
  
"What?"  
  
"For each conscious being that dies, this object will receive another side, but it will never become round because there will always be life to loose."  
  
"Nifty," she didn't mean to sound sarcastic, but after all that had happened to her that day, an ever-changing-almost-ball didn't impress her that much.  
  
"Touch it."  
  
"Uh, alright." The instant she did so, the strange item almost seemed to get a bluish cast.  
  
"Before we proceed, I want you to clarify something."  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"Why are you not in despair for missing Legolas Greenleaf?"  
  
"I am, but I prepared myself the instant I gave myself up to Harqutio. Besides, I'll see him again eventually."  
  
"That is unlikely."  
  
"What?" Concern hung on her words.  
  
"How can an immortal join the dead if he chooses to live? Was it not you who told him to do so?"  
  
Raven found herself speechless; she was never going to see Legolas again? It couldn't be true!  
  
"And now your soul must join the others in the Beyond." He lifted the almost-sphere before the she-elf. "I am afraid there will be no return."  
  
"NO!" she shrieked as she felt it suck at her soul like a vacuum. "I LOVE him! We are supposed to be together forever, not apart for all eternity!" Raven tried to pull herself away and fight, but it was useless. "I'm lost without him. Don't you see; he's my other half, my soul-mate!" The instant the words left her lips, the ring Legolas gave her began to glow with a brilliant radiance, like a star on the horizon during the darkest part of the clearest night. "What?" Raven said and gazed in mystification at her hand. She hardly realized that the strange being's object had stopped pulling at her before the mithril band caused a blinding flash of light and sent her hurtling out of the eternal whiteness.  
  
After what felt like hours but was little more than two seconds, a tree exploded into view directly below Raven. With a shriek, she plummeted like a stone through the leaves and slapping branches until she hit the hard ground. "What is it with me and falling through trees?" she asked once she caught her breath. With a sigh, the she-elf glanced about the wood and determined she was definitely in Middle-Earth, but where exactly? She didn't recognize the forest at all, but it certainly was beautiful. Ancient twisting trees formed a thick, lush canopy that stretched for miles in all directions; the light that penetrated the leaves was stained green and gold, and she knew this place was a home to elves.  
  
With a smile, Raven randomly selected a direction and started her trek- any path she chose was as good as another. All that mattered now was finding her way back to Minas Tirith. She wandered for hours through the quiet, golden-green corridor, all the while hoping to find someone who could help her. Her straight path led her over magnificent bluish-gray rocks, through dimly lit moss-covered ravines, and down and around cozy hollows. Though she couldn't see the sun through the branches, she could tell from the soft wind that it was just about mid-morning. It was then that she noticed out of the corner of her eye a person reading in the tree directly beside her.  
  
"Hello?" said the girl hopefully.  
  
Startled by the sound, the other nearly fell from the branch, "Who's there?" came the voice of a frazzled young she-elf.  
  
"Uh, just me," she said and walked in clear sight. "I was wondering if you could help me."  
  
"Oh," she smiled with relief. "Sorry if I seemed frightened- I tend to alarm easily." She leapt from the branch and tucked her leather-bound book in a pouch hanging from her hip. "My name is Lenolin." She nodded her head politely.  
  
Raven couldn't help staring into the other she-elf's astounding blue eyes; they were so familiar. She could remember gazing into those same blue eyes before, but she'd never seen this girl in her life. A face popped into her head, but she quickly dismissed it- that wasn't possible.  
  
Starting to feel uncomfortable in the silence, Lenolin spoke, "Um, begging you pardon my lady, but what is your name?" She tucked a loose piece of blonde hair behind her ear.  
  
"Oh," she snapped back to the present. "I'm Raven." She bowed her head slightly.  
  
A line appeared on the other's brow, "Raven," she said to herself, "Where have I heard that name before?" She shrugged a few seconds later. "Oh well. It was probably nothing, sorry! Anyway, you said you needed help?"  
  
"Yes, actually. I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to Minas Tirith."  
  
Lenolin laughed slightly, "Well, you're quite a long ways from Gondor!"  
  
"Where are we exactly?" Raven asked quickly.  
  
She almost looked offended by her question, "Why, this is Eyrn Lasgaelen."  
  
It wasn't the first time that day that Raven was seriously confused. She gave the other a questioning look. "Do you mean Mirkwood? Where is all the gloom and darkness? Where are all the spiders?"  
  
"They're all gone; I thought everyone knew that. My father and his friend have been clearing it up for as long as I can remember. Are you all right my lady?" she asked when the perplexed expression didn't leave Raven's face.  
  
"Yea, I'm fine, but wow, they really fixed this place up in a hurry." She looked over the forest once again. It was really hard to believe that place was once home to a hoard of evils.  
  
"Come. I can't tell you how to reach Minas Tirith, but I'm certain my mother and father will be able to." Lenolin smiled and motioned for Raven to follow her.  
  
"How far is it?"  
  
"Not far. Only about a mile."  
  
Lenolin was right. In a little over ten minutes, their brisk pace brought them to the entrance of a grand palace. "May I present my home." She gave a sweeping bow for drama as she pushed open the great door and let her guest enter.  
  
Raven recognized the palace in an instant. It was where she had spent the best six months of her life. It was where she had fallen in love. "That's strange; I didn't know you lived here."  
  
The girl shrugged, "I've lived here all my life."  
  
"Hm," Raven started to grow suspicious.  
  
"Well, come along. You must meet my mother and father!" Lenolin clasped her hand and ran down the oh-so-familiar hall. They traveled up two flights of stairs, down several corridors, and finally stopped in front of a door with two guards.  
  
"Lady Lenolin," they said and bowed on one knee in unison.  
  
'Who is this girl?' Raven mentally demanded as the door swung open, and the two she-elves stepped inside.  
  
Two tall figures with wine glasses in their hands stood side by side on the balcony. Their backs faced the door.  
  
"No way," Raven said to herself; the hair unmistakably gave away the elf's identity.  
  
"Mother! Father! I met a girl in the forest." she smiled brightly and ran toward them.  
  
Lenolin's parents turned to face their daughter and two wine glasses smashed on the floor at the exact same moment. Wide-eyed and gaping, "Raven!" Arien and Darin shouted in unison.  
  
She narrowed her eyes in utter confusion, "What!" her statement sounded like a question. "How the hell did you guys get here so fast? You had a daughter and you never told me? You have daughter!"  
  
"Well, that's what happens when you've been dead for a thousand years!" Arien cried, still in shock.  
  
"Dead? She's-" Lenolin said softly and fainted, but no one noticed.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Everything made sense now, but somehow their times didn't add up.  
  
Forcing himself to calm down, Darin finally spoke, "You never came back from the fight with Roain. You died a thousand ago. How long did you think it has been?"  
  
Raven found that she couldn't stand anymore and had to lower herself onto a couch. "I don't know. Less than half an hour maybe."  
  
Arien sighed, "What happened?" she took a seat next to her long-lost friend. The only parts of her that showed how much time had passed were her eyes.  
  
"Well, I surrendered myself to-"  
  
"We already know that story; Legolas told us everything . . . Everything but what happened after you died."  
  
"Oh, well, I woke up in this creepy white place. Then this guy I could hardly see made His crazy ping-pong ball of doom try to suck up my soul like a smoothie. But before it finished the job, my ring lit up, and the next thing I knew, I nearly broke my ass on the forest floor."  
  
Darin was glad he had shared a bottle of wine with his wife. Fainting in front of she-elves would have been so embarrassing.  
  
"What happened to you people?" Raven asked.  
  
Arien, who was not at all surprised at her friend's tale, exhaled and began, "Well, quite a lot. Legolas, Darin, and I came back here after your burial, but we didn't think Legolas would make it- he was in so much pain, and his eyes were dark and hallowed. But something you said kept him going." She gave Raven a curious look before continuing, "Darin and I were married a few years later, and shortly after, Lenolin was born." She smiled lovingly at her husband and daughter, not at all surprised that she lay in a heap on the floor. "Thranduil sailed to Valinor several centuries ago, leaving Legolas as King. Many people feared his despair would spell doom for the kingdom, but the results were quite the contrary. Since you were gone, his only passion became the eradication of evil in these lands, and as you can see, he's almost finished his quest."  
  
"Where is he now?" her voice rung with suspense.  
  
"He went south several weeks ago for what he thought would be the final colony of spiders. He should return in a few days. While you wait, I can show you everything that's changed. Don't worry Raven; the time will pass by quickly."  
  
She could hardly believe her pointed ears, "What? You think I'm just going to sit here and wait for him to come home? Like hell I am! Too much waiting has been going on, and it's time for it to end. I've got to go look for him!" she shouted and disappeared out the door.  
  
"That was unexpected," said Darin.  
  
"Quite," Arien nodded the affirmative.  
  
"How was that possible?"  
  
"Darling, it's called love."  
  
"Yea, but still."  
  
His wife shrugged. "There are many things in this life and beyond that simple beings like us cannot understand."  
  
"But doesn't that ever bother you?" Darin furrowed his brow.  
  
Arien sighed, "It did, but then I accepted that maybe there are things we're not supposed to understand."  
  
The elf nodded, satisfied, and a grin grew on his lips.  
  
"What is it?" she asked.  
  
"I was just thinking about Legolas's reaction to seeing Raven alive."  
  
Arien smiled, "Yes, you're right," she said and retrieved two new full wine glasses and passed one to Darin. "This calls for a celebration." She took a seat on his lap and clinked the crystal chalices together.  
  
"I'll drink to that," he said and kissed his wife.  
  
Finally admitting defeat, Raven decided to call it quits for the night and set up camp, which included noting more than trying to find the softest piece of ground and sleeping on it. She would have gladly continued her search for Legolas, but she had to be rational; not even she could see in the dark. Besides, she could see a small clearing ahead, and from the sound of things, it boasted a small pond. When she emerged from the trees, she was surprised at how bright the moon and stars were. She also noticed that her speculation of the existence of a pool was correct. Curious, she dipped her fingertips into the cool waters and got the sudden urge to submerge herself in them. She quickly stripped off her clothes and made her way to the far side where a small stream formed a short waterfall.  
  
Thoroughly contented, Raven remembered one of her favorite songs and brought it alive with her voice.  
  
Roaring wildly, Legolas slashed mercilessly at the last of his hideous prey of spiders. It shrieked angrily in its harsh voice, barely aware that a single deranged elfish warrior had slaughtering the entire colony. The King fought savagely, for this was all he cared about. He lived for only the hunt and the kill, or at least since she died. He longed to join her, but she made him swear to live. He'd broken every other oath he'd sworn her, but he would never break that final promise.  
  
He blamed himself for everything that had happened to her. If only he had killed Roain when he had the chance; if only he hadn't given up on finding him so soon; if only he had stopped her the morning she left; if only he had gotten there sooner. His mind was tortured by 'if only's, and few things made him forget his pain and guilt. Killing was one of them.  
  
Finally, the last of the spiders fell, oozing black blood. Legolas's sword was covered in the sticky liquid, but he didn't give a damn and sheathed it. After exhaling a long breath, he began the long walk north, hating himself with every step. Not long after, a strange sound met his ears. It was singing. He had forgotten his love for music a millennia ago, but somehow the melody captivated him. The elf merely caught pieces of the lyrics- something about a world of wonders and china roses-, but they were beautiful. He followed the lovely voice to small pool in the center of a clearing. Its owner was on the other side of the water with her back to him, but he knew who she was.  
  
When her song ended, Raven turned and met Legolas's icy blue eyes. Her heart skipped a beat; it was so wonderful to see him again, but his frozen orbs frightened her. "Hello, Legolas."  
  
"Can this be?" He asked, not trusting his sight  
  
"It can." She offered a weak smile.  
  
"This isn't possible." With no warning whatsoever, Legolas waded out toward Raven, his cloaks fanned out behind him as he walked, and he didn't stop until his face as just inches from Raven's. "How can this be real?" he whispered and begged silently that she was not an illusion of his tormented mind.  
  
She could feel his breath on her forehead. "Very easily." Her heart pounded.  
  
"I'm dreaming." He breathed and shook his head slightly, but he couldn't break his eye contact.  
  
"Dream this," she whispered quickly and pressed her lips against his and shivered; they were so cold. Undaunted, she pressed harder, willing him to kiss her back. Finally, she pulled away and gazed into Legolas's shocked blue eyes.  
  
"Raven?" His voice was unsure as he placed a shaking hand on the side of her face. Smiling faintly, she nodded and leaned into his palm. Legolas couldn't believe she was still there. She was real. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and waist and pulled her naked form against him. He felt as if he had been having a horrible nightmare, and then had awoken to a beautiful sunrise. "Oh Raven," Legolas said and kissed her lips lightly at first, but as he became more and more aware of the fact that Raven was indeed alive and in his arms, his kiss grew stronger. He pulled her so close he could feel her heart drumming in her chest, and any tighter could have broken her ribs. He felt tears well in his eyes as he thanked the Valar for bringing her, his Raven, back to him, and the ice in his heart melted. Still holding her in his arms he asked, "What happened after you-" a knot formed in his throat and kept him from finishing his question, but the she-elf knew what he was going to ask.  
  
She sighed softly as Legolas trailed kisses across her brow. "It was white forever, and a man I couldn't see tried to send my soul Beyond. When he told me I could never see you again, I snapped. The next thing I knew, the ring you gave me lit up, and I found myself in the forest.  
  
The King's mouth opened slightly before he spoke, "Nothing shall hinder our undying love."  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"It's the spell engraved on the inside of the ring . . . Somehow it must have brought you back. It worked!" He held her hand and gazed in wonder at the mithril band.  
  
"But Legolas," she swallowed and tried to choose her words wisely, "how then is it that your mother . . ."  
  
He knew that she couldn't bring herself to put in the last word because she feared causing him pain, and her sensitivity made him love her even more, despite the fact that now that he held her in his arms, nothing could sting his heart. "She had taken it off because she feared losing it in the river while she bathed; the water came in too fast, and she drowned. The ring must only work when it is worn." He looked down at her golden head and couldn't remember a moment when he was more thankful that he had been able to successfully propose.  
  
For the first time in ten centuries, Legolas smiled, but it soon faded as he recalled the toll of his emotions. "It's far too cold to stay in here much longer," said the King. He smoothly brought an arm to the back of her knees, scooped her up, carried her to the bank of the pool, threw down his royal blue cloak, and gently placed her on it.  
  
Before he could command himself to turn away, he got a good look at the she- elf who sacrificed her soul to save him, who fought the gods to return to him. Her wet, buttermilk skin sparkled in the moonlight, and her eyes were the deepest shade of green he had ever seen; he was almost surprised he hadn't drowned while gazing into her orbs. Her lithe body lay outstretched with one arm resting by her side while the other was placed just inside her hips. Her right leg lay flat, but the left was slightly arched toward him. He could hardly believe such a perfect creature found him worthy enough to see her naked flesh. Desperately hoping not to upset Raven, Legolas turned away. Though she didn't know it, she was in a very seductive position, and after all that time, he was having a difficult time keeping himself from unleashing his bottled-up passion on her.  
  
"Has it really been a thousand years?" Raven asked as she pulled Legolas's cloak about herself.  
  
The King of the Wood-elves swallowed, "Aye. A thousand years ago today to be exact." Daring to face her, he turned around. His throat tightened and stung, "After you died, I didn't know what to do. It felt like all the joy had been torn from my soul; I wanted nothing more than to wither up and die, but I couldn't," his voice shook with angst, and he turned away as he remembered all the endless hours of agony. He had known she wasn't coming back. Bitter tears forming on his eyes, he recalled the hatred he had held for himself. "My mind fell into darkness, and I was left with only my pain and guilt."  
  
"What? Legolas, what happened wasn't your fault. I made the decision to run between you and Harqutio!" Holding the cloak tightly to her chest, she sat up. "There was no-"  
  
The warrior interrupted and spun around to face her, "Raven, can you not see?" His eyes were red with remorse and anger, and tears flowed down his cheeks. "I killed you! I knew I could have stopped my dagger, but my rage dulled my reflexes, and I lost control. Don't you understand? I let my emotions get involved with the fight and cost you your life! I . . . I-" his tears choked his words.  
  
Clutching the cloak to her breasts with one hand, Raven rose and wrapped the other around the elf's neck. "Legolas, there was no other way; if Harqutio was to die, my blood had to be spilt. All these years, you carried a guilt you didn't deserve." She looked up to the king. "It's time to let go."  
  
Gazing down into Raven's concerned eyes, Legolas buried her lips beneath his. He sent his hands to her bare back before pulling away. "You're so good to me, melamin. I love you; I want us to be together always. Please, bind yourself to me, here and now. Be my lover. . . be my queen," he tried to sound more intent than pleading.  
  
"I'd like that," she smiled before continuing, "and I'd be proud to call myself yours. I love you Legolas, and I always will; you already have my heart, and now I give you my soul."  
  
He placed a finger under her chin, "I've already given you mine." And with a gentle kiss, he sealed their vows. When the elf felt the nature of their contact grow more and more ardent and Raven pulling down slightly, he broke away. "I can't; I won't. Raven, I don't want you to do something like that just to make me happy. I could never break you spirit," his voice was firm. "After we got close, all those years ago, I spoke to my father, and he said- "  
  
The she-elf interrupted, "Legolas, I wasn't ready then, but I am now. I've willingly given myself to you; it's all right."  
  
The King was still unconvinced, "How can you be certain?"  
  
"It's just one of those things you know, like being in love. No one can tell you; you just, know."  
  
His eyes bright with understanding, he nodded and trailed kisses across her neck. As the elf lowered her to the soft ground, he met her eyes with his, "It will hurt," he warned.  
  
"I am yours, my love," her voice was barely above a whisper, "Do what you will with me." She closed her eyes. Moments later, she felt the other elf lie next to her.  
  
"I love you, Raven," he said and stroked her cheek.  
  
"I know," said the girl as she opened her eyes and saw her husband, but she quickly gasped and looked away- she had never seen a naked man before-, and she forgot that it was now her right to look. However, curiosity soon won over, and Raven turned her eyes back to his body, perfectly sculpted by countless hours of training and battle. The cool look in Legolas's blue orbs, the amused grin on his bow-shaped lips, and the sinuous position of his body reminded her of a cat. His beautiful face and neck led down to elegant, strong arms. Raven felt butterflies in her heart; she had spent many happy moments in those gentle arms, but she could see that they could easily crush her in an instant. From there, her eyes roamed passed his highly toned, muscular chest to his enviable core, and down to his-. She swallowed, and a blush came to her cheeks. If she had not known that he was an elf, she could have easily mistaken him for a god.  
  
Legolas smiled at her childish display. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle," he said softly and kissed his bride as he placed himself above her, fully aware that the only thing between them was a royal blue hunting cloak. He felt himself grow hard. As he removed the barrier, he remembered all the innumerable occasions in which he had longed for this moment, and only sheer willpower had held him back. He realized then that he was going to find out what it's like to sleep beside his love, breath in the aroma of her skin, and wake up to her beautiful face. He planted a tender kiss on her lips. Then the king placed his palms on the ground on either side of her head and pushed himself up. "Raven, are you sure?" He could feel her fingers play with one of his loose braids.  
  
"Legolas," she said in a silky voice, "I was ready to die for you. Trust me, I'm ready to do this." The she-elf removed the tie that held his hair back, and his shimmering locks fell about them, forming a golden curtain.  
  
After one last brief kiss, the king lowed his lips to his love's leaf- shaped ear. "I'm sorry," he breathed and entered, shattering her fragile innocence. Raven's outburst of pain was instantaneous as she involuntarily dug her nails into her lover's back. Legolas swiftly cut off her cry with his lips. When he felt her start to calm down, he kissed the tears from her cheeks, all the while moving with a slow, rhythmic pace. "The pain will soon pass, melamin," he said soothingly. Raven nodded quickly and could already feel the truth to his words as the hurting melted away; soon there was no pain- only pleasure. Her toes curled.  
  
The two elves made love long into the night, each of them reaching their climax over and over again. Legolas kissed his wife's forehead and smiled- though she was utterly inexperienced and unsure with her movements, he had never felt so pleasured, so exhilarated, so alive in his lovemaking. All the other women he had bedded with loved him for only his power and body, while the she-elf beneath him was in love with him, Legolas the elf, not Legolas the king. He sighed happily; they would spend many more blissful nights in each other's arms, and he would teach her.  
  
Wrapping his arms around his lover, Legolas pulled Raven to his bare chest and stroked her silken hair. As he finally pulled out, a strange, buzzing warmth flooded through his body, almost as if a strange power now coursed in his veins. He could tell that she had felt it too, for her brow had creased in confusion for a brief moment, but soon a peculiar twinkle came to her eyes as she gazed up to the moon. When the sensation faded, he shrugged it off and nuzzled into her neck. "I love you," he said and kissed her.  
  
"I love you too, Legolas. I will forever. And no matter what happens, I'll always come running," she looked away from the silvery moon and met his eyes, "into your arms."  
  
I'd like to thank all my readers for their support, encouragement, and advice. It was an incredible journey, and I needed you guys. I hope you all enjoyed it; I sure did. I know I'm still developing my skills and style, but one day I hope to be a professional writer. Who knows? A few years from now, maybe you'll be reading one of my best sellers. {I wish} Please give me your honest opinions of my story; they are extremely valuable to me.  
  
I cherish you all.  
  
Into Your Arms By: Breanna Marr, Earenidiel Silverwing Edited by: Rebekah Kotcon Started- December 2001 Finished- July 3, 2004; 11:08 pm 


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